Kismet High
by Faygo-Cytosis
Summary: AU. A new year has begun at Kismet High. With Cloud's relationship with Reno ending, and Roxas's relationship with Axel just beginning, can Sora find love? Can Marluxia find freedom? Can Riku find peace from his emotional uncle Seph? CHAPTER 10 UP!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Woohoo! First KH fic! This has been in my head for a while now, and I just couldn't resist.

WARNING: THIS FIC CONTAINS SEVERAL MALE/MALE RELATIONSHIPS. IF THIS BOTHERS YOU IN ANY WAY, DON'T READ!

Pairings (eventual): Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Rufus/Reno, Leon/Cloud, Zexion/Demyx, Sai'x/Marluxia, and any others that decide to pop up.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the KH or Final Fantasy characters, but I do own Shade and any non-Square characters in this fic, unless stated otherwise. There is also a bit of Cloud/Reno at the beginning.

Note: There will be no lemons in this fic cuz I don't have the guts to write 'em. However, if one of you writes a good one and would like it to be in this fic, I have no problems adding it in.

If the school system seems odd, I'm basing it off of my high school in California, namely West Hills High School. There, we attended the same classes the whole school year, but we attended six classes a day, and each class was 55 minutes. The required classes were English, History, Math, and then either Chem, Bio, or Physics, with the remaining two classes as electives (Art, Drama, etc...). There were also Period 0 and Period 7 classes, extra classes that could be taken before or after school, respectively.

And just so you know the grade levels:

Cloud, Loz, Yazoo, Leon, Marluxia, Sai'x Grade Twelve

Reno, Axel, Shade, Rude, Elena, Rufus, Demyx, Zexion, Roxas, Sora, Riku, Kadaj Grade Eleven

Kairi, Namine, Olette, Hayner, Pence Grade Ten

Also, the teachers:

Vincent: Biology

Ansem: History

Vexen: Chemistry

Tseng: English

Xemnas: Math

Reeve: Physics

Cid: Phys Ed/ Shop Class

Aerith: Art/ Cosmetology

Quistis: Drama/ Comm Tech

Lucrecia: School Nurse (not really a teacher, though she does help Vince with Bio)

Hehehe. You'll also be surprised when you find out who Riku and Leon's father is.

Now, on to the show.

--------------Chapter One

"Guys, come on! We're gonna be late for the first day of class!" Marluxia's frustrated yell drifted through the open window on the second floor, and he could hear muttered curses from inside. Without further warning, the front door burst open and three identical redheads came running out, the last one slamming and locking the door. The pink haired teen shook his head in annoyance from where he waited by the car.

His younger brothers were triplets, and some of the biggest trouble makers that Traverse Town had ever known. Reno, the firstborn of the three, openly flirted with everything that moved and was part of a small gang called the Turks, whose job included watching over Rufus Shinra, the Principal's son. Marluxia had a feeling that Reno had a thing for Rufus, but the redhead denied it. The red tattoos under his eyes were something he got on a dare, and though he protested at the time he had come to like the result. At the moment he was wearing worn-out blue jeans and a black button up shirt with the top three buttons left open. Smirking, he hopped into the car.

Axel, the middle of the three, was almost exactly like Reno, though he was a little toned down and didn't drink as much as his older triplet. He didn't smoke like him either, though Axel was a notorious pyro. The black diamond tattoos under his eyes were a result of the same dare that Reno got his from, though he had willingly went along. He was sporting a black hoodie with flame patterns on the sleeves and a pair of black jeans with thick leather boots. His wild hair flowed past his shoulders, unbound.

The youngest of the three was Shade. With the same flaming hair and jade green eyes as his brothers, he was generally better behaved. But he shared the same sarcastic streak as the others, and could be just as scary when angered. The blood red tattoo over his left eye was actually done before his other triplets, and was the spark for the dare that resulted in theirs. He was wearing skin tight black leather pants, a dark red leather vest, and fingerless black gloves that went to just above his elbows. He also wore a black collar around his neck studded with red gems, with a long chain hanging down from the back, ending almost at his feet. At the end of the chain was a thick metal pendant with a rose engraved in it.

As Axel and Shade hopped in after Reno, with Shade taking the front passenger seat, Marluxia silently wished that the three of them would keep the trouble to a minimum this year...Or at least wait until tomorrow to start the pranks.

---

The incessant beeping of the alarm clock was what woke Cloud. He sat up slowly and blinked, wondering why he was getting up so early. Then it hit him. School!

_Crap_, he thought. He ran to get dressed, in his typical blue vest and black cargos, and ran downstairs, only to find that his other siblings were waiting.

Larxene, their mother, was excitedly fixing Namine's hair, while Demyx, and the twins Sora and Roxas were getting the typical 'First Day Speech' from their father, Luxord. (I know, you're all thinking WTF!)

As Cloud came into the room, all eyes turned to him and he chuckled nervously.

_Yup_, he thought. _Typical morning in the Strife Household_.

---

As the black hummer pulled into the student drop off lane, a blue van cut him off and the brunette behind the wheel slammed on the brakes and honked the horn. He was a little surprised to see that the blond woman in front flip him off. The sliding door on the van opened and five students, all but one of which were blond, hurried out of the van, with the blond woman smiling encouragingly to the only girl of the group. Then the van was off.

In a huff, the brunette got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, opening the huge door. He was nearly trampled as the three silver haired teenagers came flying from the middle row and took off running, mischievous looks on their faces. His nephews could be such a pain.

He heard a sniffle next to him and turned to the man that had previously been sitting in the front passenger seat. Ah, yes. His brother, Sephiroth. The slightly shorter silver haired man fought back tears as he watched his three sons running to meet up with their friends.

"They sniff grow up so fast, don't they?" Seph sniffled again. The brunette rolled his eyes, as the hummer's two other occupant's exited the vehicle. Ah, his pride and joy, his own two sons. The oldest, Squall, or Leon as he liked to be called, was a brunette just like his father, with a scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose, the result of a fight back in their old home town. The younger, however, had silver hair like his uncle, Sephiroth. He also had the same eerie aqua eyes that his uncle and father both shared.

Riku looked at his uncle strangely. "Dad, is Uncle Seph always like this?"

His father replied back with a simple "Yes."

Riku nodded, then he and Leon headed for the Principal's office. This was their first time in a new school, where most of the other students had already been here for previous years.

Hearing Sephiroth sniffle again, the brunette turned and smacked his younger brother in the back of the head. "Stop that. You're a grown man, for God's sake."

Seph pouted. "But two of my boys are graduating this year." His brother rolled his eyes as he hopped back into the driver's seat. "So is Squall, but you don't see me bawling about it."

Sephiroth glared at his brother as he got back in and closed the door. "You can be such an ASS, Genesis."

Genesis smirked and drove on.

---

Sora sat down at his desk with a sigh. It had been a great summer, but now it was over, and it was time to get going with schoolwork again. _Bleh_, he thought. This _sucks_.

He looked around to see if any of his friends were in the class. Roxas, his twin, was there, and the blond looked just as down as him. That was, until three red heads walked in. Roxas perked up when he saw Axel. The two had been close friends since the Strifes had moved here eight years ago. Sora suspected something else might be going on, when he saw Axel's wide grin and Roxas's blush, but then dismissed that thought. Cloud was the gay son in the family, and their father would flip if he found out another son was gay.

Speaking of Cloud, the older blond's boyfriend, Reno, sat down at the desk in front of Sora. The brunette narrowed his eyes. Reno liked to mess around with the people around him during class, and Sora really didn't want to get in trouble on his first day. Then he noticed something.

On Reno's upper right arm, almost completely covered by the black sleeve of his shirt, was a deep purple bruise. He wasn't sure, but it seemed to be in the shape of a hand print. As Reno turned to look his way, Sora quickly averted his eyes, and ended up meeting the emerald gaze of Shade, the third Tarshil triplet. Sora was about to say something, but Shade shook his head with an expression that said it was best to leave it alone. Maybe he could ask Cloud later.

Once more looking around, Sora also noticed Zexion Valentine sitting in the front. _Figures_, he thought. _The kid is a book worm, and to top that, his father is the teacher._

As if on cue, the door opened again, and Mr. Valentine walked into the classroom, headed towards the large whiteboard at the front of the class.

"As some of you may know, my name is Mr. Vincent Valentine, and I will be your Biology teacher for the school year. To start things off, this year you will be learning-"

He was cut off as the door slammed open. All of the students turned to look at the door, and Sora's eyes widened. The person in the door had silvery white hair and amazing aqua eyes that almost seemed to glow. The brunettes cheeks reddened when he realized he was checking out a guy, and wondered just how many of the males in their family happened to like guys.

The silver haired boy looked sheepishly at the teacher after he had caught his breath. "Sorry about that. It took me forever to find the right room."

Vincent closed his red eyes with a sigh as he ran a hand through his short black hair (a la Turks). "It's quite all right. Well, since you must be new to the area, since you are the only person here who _hasn't_ been to this school before, how about you introduce yourself to the class."

Thirty faces turned to the front of the class, eager for new blood. The silver haired teen's sheepish grin returned. "My name is Riku Leonhart, and I've just moved here recently from Hollow Bastion."

Vincent nodded. "Why don't you take a seat. It seems the only free desk is next to Sora over there."

Sora looked to his left and realized that was indeed true. As Riku took a seat next to him, the aqua eyed boy turned to Sora. "Hey."

The brunette replied with a nervous "H-hey" of his own.

Mr. Valentine then cleared his throat and the class turned it's attention to him again. "As I was saying, this year you will be learning..."

As the teacher went on, Sora sank into his seat. _Another year of mind numbing torture at Kismet High. Yippee._

_----End Chapter One-------------------_

AN: So, what did you guys think? Hopefully I didn't bore you on the first part. But, I know what you're thinking. WTF! Genesis as a father? Seph emotional? Vince actually happy in a fic with a wife and kid? And what the hell is up with Luxord and Larxene? I have a weird little mind eh?

If anyone has a character that they want to have a cameo in this fic, just send me a message with the character description and they'll make an appearance!

What caused Reno's bruises? What's with Shade's chain? Is Sora gay? Does Roxas like Axel? All this and more can be found out by staying tuned to **Kismet High**!

If you likey, just clicky the button..ey. Criticism is welcome, just remember that Flames will be given to Axel as birthday gifts! (Do Nobodies even have birthdays! 0o)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, that was fast. Too bad it's not this easy to update the others. There's just so much inspiration for this fic. Bleh.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm currently looking for a Beta for my stories. If anyone's interested, let me know!

Warnings: Same as first chappie, y'all. Except I had to up the rating for Reno's dirty mind and Cloud's language. Oo

------Chapter Two--------

_Thank GOD for short classes. _

As soon as the bell rang, Sora was out of his seat. Roxas quickly followed, Axel and his brothers in tow. The five of them had Phys Ed every other day for Second Period.

Axel chuckled to himself. He had seen the way Sora had been looking at Riku, like a dog eyeing a bone. Though the kid wouldn't admit it, he was probably attracted to the silver haired beauty. Hell, even Axel himself had been checking him out, though not as openly as Sora. But as far as he was concerned, the brunette could have Riku. It was the flustered boy's little blond twin that Axel wanted.

The pyro slowed down a bit, and Roxas hung back as well. Sora and the others continued on. Axel chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say your bro there may share you and Cloud's taste in dates."

Roxas adopted a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, seems so. I mean, at least I was a _little _less obvious when I was ogling you. Poor Sora. There goes his bid at being the only straight boy of the family."

Axel chuckled. Cloud was the only one who was open around his parents. He came out to them a year ago when he had first started dating Reno. While Mrs. Strife had squealed and been exited over her oldest child's first love, her husband hadn't been nearly as happy. In fact, down right pissed was the term. Since then, whenever their father was home, Reno wasn't allowed in the Strife's house.

Roxas and Demyx, however, kept their preferences a secret. Cloud and Namine knew, along with Axel's brothers. They hadn't told Sora, because they knew how frightened he had been when he had witnessed their father's anger at Cloud. Axel and Roxas had gotten together right before the end of the last school year, and had managed to keep it quiet. Demyx, on the other hand, had to be content with watching the one he loved from afar. The sitar player had the misfortune to fall in love with Zexion, the cold and distant son of the Bio teacher Vincent Valentine, and his wife, the school nurse, Mrs. Lucrecia. Sure, Zex and Demy were in the same little clique, along with Axel, Roxas, Marluxia, and a few other guys from their school, but Demyx was too afraid that he would ruin whatever little friendship they had.

Something abruptly smacked into Axel, wrapping it's arms around him and hiding behind his back.

"HELP! Sai'x has gone MAD!"

_Speaking of Demyx..._

_---_

As Shade and Sora walked into the Gym, he noticed that students from different grade levels were gathered here. He knew that after today, the different grades would split up to do their own thing, but for today it would likely be a free period.

As Axel, Roxas, and a cowering Demyx entered the huge Gym, Shade noticed they were one red-head short. _Where the Hell is Reno?_

"How's it goin', bitches!"

_Ah, there he is. _

Reno sauntered into the Gym, grinning like the Cheshire cat. Behind him were Rude and Elena, the other two members of the so-called 'Turks'. They shadowed Rufus Shinra acting like bodyguards, but were known to get violent, mostly due to Reno. Rufus was in the same grade level as his Turks, but due to him being the Principal's son, he got a lot of attention. Not that his good looks didn't warrant that already. _I wonder if the rumors of his father's dealings with the mob are true. _

Spying a certain blonde with the grade twelve crowd, Reno hurried off.

The doors opened again and in walked the Phys Ed teachers, foremost among them being Cid Highwind, in charge of the grade eleven class. As the other teachers; Zell for grade ten and a big guy named Barrett for grade twelve; introduced themselves and gathered their students, Shade noticed a familiar person waving to him. Moving quickly, he moved to the side of the silver haired youth.

"Hey, Shade. How ya been?" The youth that had spoken had silver hair to his shoulders and was dressed in baggy black cargos and a black t-shirt that said 'Got Manga?' on the front. (A/N: I really have one of those shirts! ) He wore black spiked bands on his wrists and a studded collar around his throat. Heavy black eyeliner adorned his face and his nails were painted black. It was amazing that he was dating the spaz known as Yuffie.

"Good, Kadaj. And you?" Shade and Kadaj had been best friends for years, and the red-head was a frequent guest at the Lucard household. Ever since he could remember, the two of them had joked with each-other about their families, like how all of Shade's siblings were into guys, and how Kadaj's father would get so emotional over the slightest things, and only their Uncle Genesis (called G for short) could keep him in line. Shade had even helped in Kadaj's pursuit of Yuffie, eventually giving up on traditional methods and locking them in a school janitor closet overnight. THAT did the trick.

Which was sad, because the only person Shade had ever wanted, and still wanted, was the silver-haired youth in front of him.

_Not that I could ever tell him that._

"Not bad. Hey! Me and Yuf are goin' to a movie later. Wanna come?"

Shade was about to answer, when Coach Highwind spoke up. "As y'all know, today will be a free period. But tomorrow your asses are MINE, got it!"

---

"How's it goin', bitches!"

Reno smirked at the reactions of his fellow students. Some were shocked, others simply annoyed. All of the returning students already knew his routine. No doubt they would warn everyone else. He laughed when he turned and saw Rude and Elena roll their eyes. Rufus was nowhere to be seen, as he had physics this block. Reno didn't know why, but something drew him to the blonde. It wasn't like all the other students, who either admired or feared him. He knew Rufus better than even the other Turks. He knew that Rufus hated the way that everyone acted as they did because his father was the Principal, and was also rumored to have Mafia dealings. The kid was alone in the huge house his dad owned. No siblings, no mother, just the hired help.

Rufus wanted people to admire or fear him because of who he really was, not because of his familial relations. There wasn't much to hate, either. That ashe blonde hair, eyes the color of ice that seemed to look deep into your soul, those lips that seemed so soft that were always set in a frown, except for those rare occasions that Reno made him laugh...

_Stop thinking like that, dude. You're taken._

As if the thought summoned him, Reno noticed the _other _blonde to which he devoted himself. Cloud Strife. Gold blonde hair in those impossible spikes, deep azure eyes. Lean body that could be surprisingly strong. He had found that out through sparring and...other late night activities. They had been together a year, and it was possibly the greatest year of the red-head's life. Everything had been perfect. But lately, the blonde had been acting moody, rejecting his touches, his affections, and loosing his temper and snapping at the Turk for the smallest things. Reno would never admit it, but he was scared that their relationship was falling apart.

Waving goodbye to his fellow Turks, he headed towards the blonde. As he got closer, he noticed that Cloud was talking to a tall brunette that he hadn't seen before. His dark messy hair hung past his shoulders, and he had startlingly blue eyes. What drew Reno's eyes, however, was the diagonal scar across the bridge of his nose. _Looks like a knife did that._

"Yo, Spikey!" Walking up behind the blonde, he looped his arms over his shoulders and nuzzled the side of his head. They used to be very open with their relationship, which was why Reno was surprised when Cloud shrugged him off.

"Hey Reno. So, what do you think of Coach Highwind?" He pointed to the blond Gym teacher that was currently yelling at two of the students, not bothering to be mindful of expletives. Apparently, the source of his wrath was none other than his own brother Axel and Cloud's brother Demyx. Reno let out a chuckle.

"Seems like he's gonna be pretty cool. Hopefully he won't be as bad as you say. By the way, who's Scarface here?"

Cloud rolled his eyes in annoyance at the nickname, something else he had been doing a lot lately. "This is Leon Leonhart. His family just moved here a few weeks ago. Apparently his cousins are Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo."

Reno scoffed. "That must be tough. Name's kinda odd though."

"It's a nickname," the brunette replied.

"Ah, I get it...Wait. Leonhart, you say? You the brother of that Riku kid?"

Leon nodded. "Yeah. And I know what you're thinking. He got most of his looks from our grandmother."

"That explains a lot." Reno suddenly smirked and turned to Cloud. "Seems there may be no straight boys in this Strife generation after all."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed. Reno almost faltered. The blonde had been acting really odd lately, like everything he did pissed him off. Odd. "Well, I caught little Sora ogling the younger Leonhart. Got quite flustered when he sat next to him, too. Wouldn't be surprised if, by the end of the month, the two of 'em end up all hot and-"

He was cut off by a hard smack to the face. Scratch that, PUNCH to the face. Cloud was fuming. He grabbed Reno by the arm, and the red-head winced at the harsh pressure being exerted on the large bruise that was already there. Leon and a few of the other surrounding students gaped at them in shock.

"NEVER talk about Sora like that again, EVER. I don't know what the HELL your problem is! Why do you always have to act like that, huh!"

Reno stared at the enraged blonde in front of him, fear creeping into his gaze. This was just like...

"Well! Why don't you answer me, huh! Do you think it's funny, acting the idiot! Do you LIKE causing so much trouble and being the center of attention! You are SO fucking WORTHLESS!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Reno could see Shade and Axel fighting to get to him through the forming crowd. Shade looked panicked, while Axel was downright pissed. Rude and Elena were behind them as well, matching looks of worry on their faces. In any other situation, he would have felt happy that they were coming to help him, but all he could do was stare into those hateful blue eyes, paralyzed with fear.

Cloud, for his part, was pissed at the lack of response. He was also inwardly confused at Reno's expression. He looked like a frightened child that was about to cry. He knew he should just stop, apologize for everything, but his anger was in control, and he couldn't stop.

"I CAN'T believe I wasted my time with a WORTHLESS piece of SHIT like YOU! I've FUCKING had it! We're through, Tarshil. I NEVER want to see your worthless face again, GOT IT!"

That's when the tears came. They trickled from those wide, emerald eyes, filled with pain and fear, and a darker emotion that Cloud couldn't place, but knew he didn't like. _What the Hell have I done..._

Then Cloud was knocked away and found himself staring into a copy of Reno's face, only this one had black diamond tattoos instead of red crescents. A hand shoved hard at his chest, sending him several steps back.

"What the FUCK is your problem, Strife! I swear to God I'm going to-" Suddenly the pyro was pulled back by a hand on his collar. Cloud looked up into the clearly angered face of Coach Highwind.

"Cloud, I'm surprised at you, kid. You're gettin' two weeks of detention for that one, pal. I don't care who he is or what he did, but you got NO excuse for treatin' someone like that." He turned to Axel next. "I want to see ya in detention after school today too. You DON'T threaten students in MY class, hear me?" Axel, clearly angry, just nodded. "Now you and your brother get Reno out of here and help 'im calm down. Just make sure ya'll make it to your next classes."

Axel turned to see Reno wrapped protectively in Shade's arms. Though Shade whispered words of comfort to the elder triplet, his eyes held a deep burning anger and hate that Axel knew wasn't directed at Cloud for breaking his brother's heart. The source of this anger had been around far longer than that. They saw it every day at home, and that was one of the reasons they caused trouble. If they had detention, they didn't have to go home right away. That was the same for their late night parties and all the times they ever snuck out.

Reno and his brothers went through Hell every day of their lives; school and whatever friendships they made were the only things that got them through it.

Oh, yes. They had seen Hell, all right.

And that Hell was home.

----End Chapter Two---

A/N: Wow. It's amazing what happens when you're at school, bored out of your mind and listening to Emo music on other people's I-Tunes accounts. Oo

Hope that didn't freak to many people out. This chapter just came together on it's own. Rating had to go up due to Cloud's language. Who would of thought that he'd be such an ass, eh?

Reno: Yes, he IS an ass.

Cloud: Don't make me hit you again, bitch.

Reno: Eep!

Well, that's all for now. Read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Dude. This fic is coming along fast. (Oo) It's weird, this fic totally writes itself at some points. This is the first chapter where I have a definite plan, though.

Just a question, but do you guys think I should add a small supernatural element? Ya know, like a ghost or something? This fic will totally work either way, it's just that I got some ideas. Hell, I could even make this a zombie fic if y'all want!

Warnings: This chapter has mentions of rape and abuse. Also, it's a teensy bit darker than the others.

NOTE: To those first four lucky people who reviewed, ya'll got a little something special in the first few paragraphs!

Also, to those of you pissed that I take forever to update other fics, school will be over for me in two weeks and then I'll have LOTS more time to work on these stories. And, if all else fails, Spam me with messages to get it into my thick skull.

----------Chapter Three------------

**"Maybe I'll never see you smile again. Maybe you thought that it was all pretend; All these words that I could never say, I just let them slip away." - 4am Forever, lostprophets**

As soon as Cloud got home after his detention, he ran upstairs, past his parents and into his room, slamming the door. If his explosive outburst at Reno hadn't been bad enough, the rest of the day had been Hell. Reno was a VERY popular person in their school.

He had been harassed by several people that had all been sorely pissed at him. Two of the girls in his History class, named Elaine and Jasmine, had practically screamed at him before class started. Another girl, named Sapphire, had smacked him in the hallway. If it hadn't been for her dark skin, her face would have been flaming red with anger. Afterwards, she had simply stormed off, her equally angry friend Noah following, boyfriend Duo in tow.

Worst of all, Cloud had the misfortune of sharing Sixth Period Biology with Reno's older, VERY protective brother, Marluxia. The pink-haired senior was sending icy glares at him the whole fifty-five minute period. It was different from the looks other people gave him. It was a look of such pure loathing and hate that Cloud was surprised he wasn't dead just from the intensity of that glare.

After class, Marluxia had cornered him, and told him in a chilling voice that if he EVER went near Reno again, he would die where he stood faster than he could blink. The worst part, the blonde knew, was that Marluxia could carry out that threat. The gang the pink-haired teen was a part of, Organization XIII, backed up each of it's members, and would be itching to help since two of Reno's brothers were members. He also realized that the Turks that Reno was a part of would be all too willing to help, gang rivalries aside.

Yup. He was screwed.

And though he knew that he had been wrong in his actions, a small part of him was glad the relationship was over. The pressure from his family, and his embarrassment for being associated with the red-head had been taking a toll on him. Also, there was the fact that Reno absolutely REFUSED to allow Cloud to set even one foot inside the Tarshil house. He was always trying to come over, sometimes sneaking in and narrowly avoiding getting Cloud into trouble. And he drank obsessively, and smoked like a chimney...

_Face it, Strife. You're sorry about what you did and now you've lost your chance to fix it._

His thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on his bedroom door.

---

Sora chewed his lip nervously. The day's events played over in his head: his brother's outburst in the Gym; seeing Cloud getting decked in the hallway by a black girl after Third Period; seeing Reno in a blank daze; the other Tarshil brother's worried expressions.

And then there was the fact that after first laying eyes on the boy named Riku he had been unable to get the silver-haired teen out of his mind. He went red in the face whenever he saw him after that, and he couldn't understand the way his heart started pounding whenever their eyes met. It was almost as if he were attracted to the new boy...

Sora was in trouble, and he knew it.

The only person that he could really ask about this sort of thing was Cloud, and he wasn't sure if now was the best time, with the break-up and all. He couldn't ask Roxas or Demyx, because as far as he knew they were straight. But if he didn't figure this out soon, then he was going to go crazy.

So, after dinner, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and made his way to Cloud's room. Swallowing nervously, he lightly knocked on the door and waited.

When no answer came right away, he was afraid that his brother may have fallen asleep. Then he heard a weary voice say, "Come in."

Hesitantly, he opened the door to his eldest brother's room and stepped inside. The only light in the room came from a small lamp on the bedside table. The room was as he always remembered. Dark blue walls, a HUGE sword mounted high on the wall across from the door. There really wasn't much decoration, aside from a few posters. There was a _My Chemical Romance_ poster hung on the back of the door, _lostprophets_ and _Muse_ posters adorning the other walls, and, oddly enough, a _Gackt_ poster on the ceiling. Cloud never did explain that one.

Aside from that, there was a desk along one wall and a bed along the other. Grabbing the desk chair, he dragged it over to the bed where his brother lay and sat down.

"What is it, Sora?"

Cloud's voice sounded so tired and worn, and Sora almost left right there. But he needed help. "Well, umm...that is to say...uhhh..."

The blonde looked towards Sora, confused. The brunette rarely acted this way, and when he did it was usually something big. But when he saw the blush across his brother's cheeks he smiled softly. "C'mon Sora, go ahead."

Scrunching up his eyes and taking a deep breath, Sora blurted, "How did you know you were gay?"

Cloud blinked. Then blinked again. _Did I just hear that right?_

Looking into his brother's eyes, he realized he must have heard correctly. _Oh, dear God. Could Reno have been right?_

"W-why do you ask that, Sora?" The brunettes blush deepened, if that was even possible.

"Well, there's this guy that's new to town and he's in some of my classes. Every time I see him, I get really nervous and stuff." He paused to take a deep breath. "And,this is going to sound weird, but every time his eyes meet mine my heart goes all crazy."

Cloud was gaping at his brother like a fish. _FUCK. Reno WAS right. I'm SUCH an ass._

Then he realized that Sora was now looking at him expectantly, and he had to answer.

"Sounds to me, Sora, that you may have feelings for this guy. That doesn't necessarily make you gay, though. Just bi. That is, unless, you've felt attraction to other guys...?"

"No. I've always liked girl's before. This guy is just...different."

"Ah, so you're like Roxas, then." After the words left him, Cloud immediately clapped his hands to his mouth. _Shit. That was supposed to be a secret. Way to fuck up twice in one day, Cloud._

"What! How long has THIS been going on?" Sora was dumbstruck. Roxas? His own twin? In love with a guy? _Well, that would explain the whole Axel bit. What else don't I know?_

Now it was Cloud's turn to chuckle nervously. "Well, guess the secret's out. Yeah, Roxas has been going out with Axel since the end of last school year. And since you now know that, guess you should also know that Demyx has been drooling over Zexion for years now. As far as I know, though, I'm the only flamingly gay boy in the house."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Sora's voice was meek, quiet.

"Well, we all saw how freaked out you were when I came out to Dad. They didn't want you to see that again, and I didn't want anyone else in the family to go through that. We've just kept it hidden. Well, Axel and his brothers know, but that doesn't really count." Cloud sighed. _Speaking of Axel, he probably hates me now, too. No more nights getting drunk with him, Roxas, and Reno, or sitting around at lunch talking about hot guys._

Sora smiled. "Well, I'm glad I know now. I won't tell Dad, obviously, but I wish you guys would have told me sooner. Now I just got to figure out if Riku feels the same."

---

_History is so damn BORING. _Rufus sighed, looking towards the flame-haired leader of his beloved Turks. He'd never admit it to anyone, but his Turks were closer to him than his pathetic excuse for a father. He thought of them as siblings, though he thought of Reno as more than that.

Over the past week, Reno's attitude had changed drastically. For the first few days after the incident with Cloud, the red-head had been withdrawn. His normal insults had less bite, his fighting had become pathetic, and for the first time since the blonde had met him he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble. Rufus had even heard from Shade that the boy hadn't been eating or sleeping all that well at home either.

Then, half-way through the third day, his demeanor had changed. The intensity of his insults had increased to the point where they had sent more than one person away in tears. He started fights at the drop of a pin, and had been berated so many times by pissed of teachers that he had probably set a new record. He ate and slept now, which was a relief, but he also stayed out half the night getting horribly drunk.

The way things were going, Reno was setting himself up for some major trouble in the future. _That's it then. After class is over, I'm going to fix the situation._

As if on cue, the bell rang. The other students in the class hurried out, eager to be home after the incredibly boring final class. Rufus motioned for Reno to hang back.

When the two of them were alone, the teacher having gone to the office, Rufus approached the unstable Turk.

"Reno, it's come to my attention that there is a problem." He could tell by the look on Reno's face that it wasn't the best choice of words, but he couldn't take them back now.

"Problem? Just that spike-haired asshole thinking he's to GOOD for me! That GOD damn PRICK freaks out at me in front of ALL those people and breaks up with me for NO GOOD REASON! OF COURSE THERE'S A PROBLEM!"

If the outburst had surprised Rufus, he didn't show it. "So this is about Strife, then?"

Reno seemed to shrink into himself after the outburst. "Yeah. I mean, it wasn't perfect, but we had a good thing going. Then he starts gettin' all bitchy on me and before I know it, he's snapping at me in front of the whole Gym and telling me we're through." Reno lifted his head, tears of frustration in his eyes. "It's been a whole WEEK and he hasn't apologized for any of it."

Rufus regarded him solemnly. "Would you forgive him and take him back if he did?"

Reno shook his head vehemently. "Not after what that bastard did."

Suddenly Rufus smirked. "Good. That means I can do _this, _then."

The ashe-blonde gripped the back of Reno's head and crushed his lips to the red-head's. Green eyes momentarily widened in shock, before sliding shut as he returned the kiss.

Though Reno remained oblivious, Rufus was all too aware of the other blond watching them from the doorway.

---

As Shade walked through the nearly empty halls to his locker after his Period Seven class, he couldn't help but wonder if Reno would be okay. If Cloud had calmly told him that they were breaking up and told him the reason, then the older triplet wouldn't have been so upset. But it was the things the blonde said and the actions he had taken that had scared the eldest red-head so much. _Cloud couldn't have known, but that doesn't excuse him for what he's done. _Cloud's actions had reminded Reno of the abuse the brothers suffered at home.

It had started when the triplets were seven. Their mother had been ill ever since Shade and his two doubles were born. Their birth had taken too much out of her and she had never really recovered. It was amazing that she had even lasted that long. Close to their seventh birthday, their mother had gotten worse, and over the next few months her weakened body gave out on her. In the end, they could only stand by and watch as she died.

Their father never really gotten over it. He had started drinking pretty heavily after that, and it was after one of these particular bouts of drinking that the abuse began. He began hitting his three youngest boys, blaming them for their mother's death. When Marluxia, almost two years older, tried to stop him, their father turned on him as well. For years they cowered around their father, the beatings seemingly coming at random.

Then, just a few years ago, the brothers started retaliating. Reno stole money once so that they could try to go to a movie. When their father caught him, he broke all of the fingers on Reno's left hand, telling the doctors that the boy's hand had accidentally been crushed when roughhousing. He hadn't been able to use his had very well since.

Next, there was the time when Axel was caught lighting firecrackers out back behind the school. Shade still wasn't completely sure what happened, but he had seen the horrible burn scars that covered Axel's back and parts of his arms. How the kid was still a pyro was a mystery. The excuse that time was that Axel had been lighting firecrackers in an old shed and had gotten caught in a fire.

The worst incident, however, happened just over a year ago. It was after their father found out that his sons were gay. Marluxia's boyfriend Sai'x had carelessly kissed him on the front porch just as he was opening the door. To take the attention from their brother, the triplets had come out to their father at the time as well. He was so angry that they were lucky the punishment hadn't been any worse than it already was.

Shade, in a show of defiance, had started shouting back at their father, much to the horror of his brothers. The broken liquor bottle that lay on the ground from where their father dropped it in his rage was suddenly back in his hand. Before Shade or the other's had realized what had happened, Mr. Tarshil had lunged at his youngest son. Before they could stop him, the jagged edge of the broken bottle had dug into the skin of Shade's neck and was viciously dragged across. The pain had been immense, the youngest triplet's blood flowing freely across the floor.

Horrified, Marluxia had called for the paramedics before their father could stop him. Later, Shade was told how lucky he was to be alive. If the cut had been deeper, or the paramedics had gotten there slower, he would have died. As it was, he had an ugly jagged scar across his throat, and whenever he exerted himself too much or talked too long or too loud his throat would swell and it became hard to breath. Lucky indeed.

Marluxia had gotten him the collar and chain to hide the mark, and also as a small means of self-defense. The chain looked harmless enough, if a little odd, but the pendant at the end was actually a well disguised dagger that Shade could use to defend himself if their father ever went after him again. None of them have fought back since.

Shade was still deep in his thoughts when he suddenly heard a sharp cry. Turning the corner quickly he saw Marluxia pinned up against on of the lockers by none other than Sai'x, the pink-haired boy's own boyfriend. Why Marl liked the blue-haired freak was beyond him. _That guy is trouble._

"Say that again and you'll regret it. You belong to ME now, remember? I can do whatever I want with you."

_Yup. Definitely trouble._

"There a problem here, Sai'x?" Shade didn't bother to hide the loathing in his voice. His brother knew how he felt about Organization XIII's self-proclaimed second-in-command.

The blue-haired senior turned his scarred face towards the younger Tarshil and sneered. He dropped Marluxia to the ground. "Actually, I believe the problem is solved now." He moved in the direction from which Shade had just come. As he passed the red-head, he whispered menacingly, "Stay out of my way, kid, or you wont live long enough to regret it." Then he was gone.

Shade shook his head, then went over to help his brother stand. Marluxia was in bad shape, bruises littering his already battered body. Then the younger teen noticed something that angered him greatly. Most of his elder brother's clothes were torn. Many of the buttons had been ripped off of the deep violet shirt that he wore, and what could be seen of his chest was covered in bite marks and bruises. There were also rust colored stains on the inner thighs of the older boy's jeans. _What did that bastard do!_

"Marl, what happened? If it was that bastard, I swear I'll-"

He was cut off by his brother's tired voice. "I-it wasn't him. Well, not entirely anyway."

Shade stared hard at his brother. There was no way that he was going to just ignored this. He wanted answers, and told Marluxia as much.

The pink-haired teen sighed. "Fine. But don't tell Reno and Axel, alright? ESPECIALLY not Axel." Against his better judgement, Shade nodded.

Sighing again, he spoke. "Like I said, i-it wasn't just Sai'x. He took me to one of the empty classrooms and l-l-locked me inside. When he came back...the other Organization members were with him, all but Axel and Roxas. They locked the door behind them again...and then...they...they..." A choked sob wrenched itself from his throat. "It was HORRIBLE! They forced themselves on me, one at a time. After I thought it was over, and the others all left, Sai'x decided to have his turn, RIGHT THERE! He t-told me that since I was a m-m-member, th-that I belonged to all of them, and..."

It was then that Marluxia began to cry; loud, wrenching sobs wracking his body as his youngest sibling wrapped his arms protectively around him. Whispering words of comfort that seemingly fell on deaf ears, Shade's green eyes shed bitter tears of their own. Why were they forced to go through so much?

Tightening his arms around his broken sibling, Shade growled. "I'll make sure those bastards pay for this, and Sai'x is on the top of my list."

----------------End Chapter Three----------------

A/N: Oo Holy Crap. That came out better than I had hoped.

Marluxia: Better for YOU maybe...

Sai'x: Shut it, Bitch.

Marluxia: AHHHHHH! SHADE, SAVE MEEEEEE!

Shade: _Chases Sai'x around with a pitchfork._

A/N: OO' Oooookay then. This is the last update till next week. Hopefully I'll have a new chapter up for this AND for Souls and Iron by Monday.

Here's a little teaser to tide y'all over till then, kay?

_The red-haired teen stared up at his attacker, terror in his eyes. The scarred face looked down upon him emotionlessly, blood dripping from the blade held tightly in his grip. "I told you to stay out of my way."_

Hopefully that'll keep you till then. Till next week, ja ne!

Review Button: Click meeeee... Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick meeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

A/N: Oo


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Weeelll, here it is! This chapter is the major turning point in terms of the overall plot.

Warnings: Violence and mentions of abuse and rape.

As you guys will see, this chapter explores some of the characters that haven't been mentioned much so far.

-------Chapter Four----------

**"If you're going to erase the pains in my Heart, then go right ahead and kill me." - _Lust for Blood_, Gackt **

Kadaj sighed. He didn't know how, but Shade and Yuffie had convinced him to wear the heavy black hooded cloak from the back of the Drama room costume closet. It was hot as Hell in the thing, and the fact that he was wearing his black cargos and a long sleeved black shirt underneath weren't helping matters. They had even made him wear a pair of long, black evening gloves to hide his hands and give him the appearance of a shadowed creature when the hood was up.

This, according to Shade, was a part of their Comm Tech video. It was Kadaj himself that had come up with the basic plot, along with the storyboards. However, he wasn't expecting to be the one in the costume.

The basic plot of the movie was as follows: a girl obsessed with horror movies (Yuffie), suddenly found herself being chased through the halls of her high school by a mysterious cloaked fiend (Kadaj). Through numerous twists and turns, Yuffie would eventually end up trapped against a locked door in a secluded hallway. This was where they currently were, attempting to film the final few scenes.

Kadaj was currently manning the camera. Shade was supposed to walk through the door and Yuffie was supposed to reach it right as it closed. Then she was to bang on the door, panicked. Their first try, though hilarious, had been a failure. Yuffie had arrived at the door just a little too soon and gotten her arm stuck in the door. When she had pulled her arm free and the door shut, she had smacked the door once and then settled back on her heels with a VERY undignified 'Fuck'. That had sent Kadaj and Shade into peals of laughter and had set them back about ten minutes.

So here Kadaj was. Signaling Shade through the glass panel in the door, he started filming. Shade walked through the door, his expression one of boredom. Right as the door was closing, Yuffie came thundering down the stairs, but she was too late. She smacked her head against the door and then fell to her knees, pawing it like a cat.

Handing the camera to Shade, Kadaj grinned and pulled up his hood, and then moved to stand behind her. When she sat back against the door and faced him, she let out a panicked 'WHOA!' and held her hands to her face.

"Aaaaaand, Cut!" Shade grinned and clapped. Yuffie's surprise on that last scene was genuine. They hadn't told her that Kadaj would be coming up behind her that closely.

Yuffie stood quickly and smacked her boyfriend on the arm. "You scared the Hell out of me, Kadaj! And you!" She then pointed to Shade, "You put him up to this, DIDN'T you!"

Shade chuckled again. "If you had read the script, you would have know that was going to happen. And while I'd like to sit here all day and hear you complain about that little fright, we only have about five minutes to get everything back to the class room."

Yuffie took off. "You guys take the stuff back. I've got to talk to Ms. Quistis about something! Bye!" And then she was gone.

"FINALLY. I can get OUT of this stupid thing." Kadaj shrugged out of the heavy cloak and draped it over his shoulder, while Shade grabbed the camera and the tripod. Kadaj noticed that a troubled expression had come over Shade's face. He had seen that look a lot lately. Shade always seemed a bit sad when he and Kadaj were alone, and lately it had been getting worse. "Shade? Is something wrong?"

Shade snapped his head up to looked at his silver-haired friend. He seemed to be contemplating something. Then, seemingly decided and a lot more nervous, he looked Kadaj in the eye. "There's something I have to tell you, Kadaj."

The seriousness of the red-head's tone was confusing, the look on his face even more so. He seemed to be...scared? Maybe that wasn't it, exactly, but it was close. There was also a hint of sadness in there too. "What is it, Shei?"

Shade seemed to flinch at the use of his real name, but then he straightened himself up and looked Kadaj in the eye. "You may hate me for this later, but I have to say it before it kills me. Kadaj, I love you."

If anything, Kadaj was more confused. "Hey, I love you too man, you're my best friend."

The red-head let out an exasperated huff. "No. I mean I LOVE you. As in, more than just a friend." And before Kadaj had time to fully register what he had said, Shade kissed him. It was a quick kiss, barely more than lips touching lips, but it was enough to send Kadaj's mind reeling.

"I've loved you for a long time now, Kadaj. But I've stayed away because I know you don't feel the same way. But I just can't keep it to myself any-"

He was cut off by a hard punch to the face. He fell in an undignified sprawl of limbs and looked up to see hard aqua eyes staring down at him. "What the FUCK do think you are doing? Stay the Hell away from me."

Shade was stunned. "But, Kadaj, I-"

"STOP! I don't want to hear any more! Go the Hell away and leave me alone! I don't EVER want to see you again, you fucking QUEER!"

Emerald eyes widened momentarily, before a resigned expression settled on the red-head's features. Standing slowly, he picked up the forgotten camera and headed slowly up the stairs. "Forgive me, Kadaj. I wont bother you anymore."

His voice sounded hoarse, as if it was hard for him to breath.

And with that, he was gone.

---

Leon watched as Cloud sat down heavily in the desk next to him in Math, and winced as the blonde slammed his head none too gently into the fake wood. He had to strain his ears to hear the words he spoke. "Man, I fucked up."

Leon chuckled despite himself. In his short time here, less than two weeks, he had heard rumors of the blonde's younger brother having feelings for Riku, had witnessed said blonde break up with his boyfriend, and had seen him harassed by half of the student body for the aforementioned breakup. In spite of it all, he felt himself somewhat drawn to the blonde.

Leon had never considered himself straight, or even gay for that matter. He figured, as long as he loved someone and they loved him in return, then gender didn't matter. Thus, he hadn't been surprised or bothered by the apparent number of homosexual relationships in this school.

He did feel bad for the blonde, however wrong he had been in his treatment of the one named Reno. From what Leon had heard, Cloud had been under a lot of stress, most notably from his father's open disgust with his chosen preference. It had needed an outlet, and Reno was the unfortunate victim. _Fucked up, _Leon noted, _is a major understatement. _

"So tell me, Cloud, what's happened this time?"

By the look on his face when he raised his head, Leon could tell that Cloud felt like melting into oblivion right then and there. "Well, I found out that Reno was right about Sora. I was going to apologize to him the other day and I found Rufus Shinra with his tongue down Reno's throat. Guess that means my chances of getting him back are reduced to nil, not that I could blame him."

Leon's eye softened with sympathy. "That's hard. I feel for you, man." Then something else clicked in his head. "Wait, you said Reno was right about Sora. Does that mean...?"

Cloud smacked himself on the forehead. Leon though he heard him mutter something along the lines of 'Way to keep secrets, Cloud.' Running a hand through his spiky blond locks, Cloud sighed. "Yeah. Sora has the hots for Riku, alright."

Leon grinned broadly. "Well, that's good to know. I'm glad that what Riku is feeling isn't one-sided."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. I- Wait. You mean Riku feels the same way?" At Leon's nod, the blonde slumped into his seat, obviously relieved. "That's a load off my shoulders. I can see why he fell for Riku too, seeing how he has such a gorgeous older brother." As Cloud seemed to realize what he had said, his eyes widened dramatically and his face burned a deep crimson.

And that's when the class bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, and in walked Mr. Xemnas, sometimes called 'Mansex' by the other students, most notably Axel. Glancing around quickly to check that his students were all here, he began the day's lesson.

As Cloud opened his notebook in preparation to take notes, a crumpled paper ball landed on his desk. Looking over at Leon, he saw a devious expression on his face. Opening the crumpled paper revealed a note that had Cloud blushing all the way to his roots.

_Come over to my place at 8:00 tonight so that we may continue where you left off. Bring Sora, as I'm sure he and Riku will have a lot to 'talk' about, as well._

_SIgned, _

_Leon_

_P.S: Riku isn't the only one with a gorgeous older brother, and I'm sure as Hell not talking about Demyx._

_---_

As soon as the bell rang signaling the end of Sixth Period, Demyx took off. It was Friday, and Sai'x always had some sort of sick thing planned on Fridays. Last week had involved gang raping Marluxia, and he didn't want to be there if it happened again. He had been forced at gunpoint to take Marluxia against his will, and after the pink-haired teen had left, the other members had turned on him. Thankfully Axel and Roxas weren't there, and Zexion was conspicuously absent as well. He didn't think he could take it if Zex had been there, and if Axel and Roxas had known they would have been disgusted. It wasn't like this was the first time it had happened to Demyx either.

The other members of the Organization; minus Axel, Roxas, Zexion, and Marluxia; had begun using him after Demyx's failed relationship with Axel two years ago. One Friday night was all it took for it to become a regular practice to the other members.

Then they had gotten bored, and Sai'x had introduced the idea of using Marluxia as well. The others had opposed at first, wary of Axel's anger. But when he and Roxas had been spending more time together away from the group, they had decided to move in on the pink-haired Tarshil. Demyx had never spoken up before, afraid of what the group would do to his siblings, but after Marluxia had been dragged into this, he was becoming sorely tempted. Though he was sure Shade had found out, from the way that the younger Tarshil had been regarding the other members with open hate, with the most anger directed at Sai'x.

Lost in his train of thought, Demyx didn't noticed the ring of black hooded figures until it was too late. As he was dragged away, he was dimly aware of Marluxia unconscious form draped over Sai'x's shoulder.

---

Shade paced nervously back and forth next to the car. His two double's were already seated, along with Roxas, and, surprisingly, Rufus. He was happy, though, that Reno was moving past Cloud. Shade had been distanly aware of Rufus's feelings for a while, and it was nice to see them reciprocated. For the first time, he felt the bitter sting of jealousy. If only Kadaj had felt the same way.

What had him on edge now was Marluxia's absence. He usually had extracurricular activities on Fridays, something to do with nature preservation. The meetings usually only lasted an hour and a half and it was already 6:30. The youngest triplet had a sinking feeling that he knew what was going on, but he hoped that he was wrong. After waiting another ten minutes, he turned towards the others. "Guys, you go on ahead, I've got some stuff left to do. The old man is gone for the weekend and we should enjoy every minute of it. I'll walk back with Marl." Reno grinned, with a thumbs up, and then the car was speeding down the road.

Shade sighed as he re-entered the school. It was empty by now, even the teachers had left. Hopefully he would find Marl and be out fast. Though he had an idea that it wouldn't be the case.

Suddenly, he heard a shout at the end of the hallway he was traveling. _That sounded like Marl! _Swearing, he took off running. As he was about to enter the room, a large hand swung out and connected with his throat.

His world faded to black.

---

Sora was nervous. Here he was, on the back of Cloud's bike at 7:50, headed towards Riku's place. He had heard from Cloud earlier that Riku shared his feelings, but that didn't make him any less nervous. On a lighter note, he had learned of his brother's crush on Leon. The two of them were going to stay the night at the Leonhart's place, as a result of a gracious invitation from their father. If Mr. Strife had any idea of the nature of the meeting he would have called it off. But, here they were.

As the bike slowed in it's path up the driveway, Sora had the chance to look at the huge house before him. It housed not only Mr. Leonhart and his sons, but Mr. Hojo and his three sons as well. Hopping off his brother's huge bike, he hurried up to the front door next to an equally nervous Cloud. The elder of the two knocked firmly on the door and waited.

The man that answered the door wasn't what they expected. He had long brown hair hanging free past his waist, and had the same creepy aqua eyes as Riku and his brothers. He didn't appear to be old enough to have two teenage sons, but Mr. Seph didn't really look that way either. He cooly regarded the two brothers.

"The two of you must be Sora and Cloud. I'm Riku and Leon's father, Genesis Leonhart. You can call me Genesis or G, none of this 'Mister' crap, got it?" When both boys nodded, he turned to Sora. "Riku's waiting up in his room. Turn left when you get up the stairs, it's the third room on the right."

Nodding again, Sora ran to the indicated room. Knocking softly, he entered when he heard the muffled 'Come in'. Taking a quick glance around the room, he noticed a TV in one corner with a PS2 and a Gamecube hooked up to it. A shelf next to it was lined with games and plenty of DVDs. In another corner, a flat screen PC sat on a black metal desk. But his attention was focused mainly on the room's only other occupant, Riku.

He was sitting on the bed with a wide grin on his face. Patting the space next to him, he smirked. "Seems like we've got some things to 'talk' about."

---

Cloud, on the other hand, was stopped by G as soon as he stepped through the doorway, the front door shutting heavily behind him. Those piercing aqua eyes were STILL watching him. Cloud's first thought upon seeing the man had been: _Crap! He looks just like Gackt!_

After a few more awkward moments, G spoke. "Leon's waiting for you in the living room. I don't care what the two of you do or how far you go tonight, just try to keep it down. SOME of us have to work tomorrow." And with that statement, Genesis ascended the stairs and left a very red Cloud to wander into the living room.

---

Shade groaned as he opened his eyes. At first, the glaring lights stung and he shielded his face. After his eyes had time to adjust, he lowered his arm and looked around. He was one the floor in what appeared to be the teacher's lounge. Moving slowly, he reached the door only to find that it was locked. Someone obviously didn't want him to get out. Then he heard pained shouts and began pounding on the door. The first voice he knew instantly was Marluxia's, and it didn't take him long to realize that the second one was Demyx's.

"Damn you, bastards! Let me out!"

When he heard the click of the door unlocking, he warily stepped back. The door opened slowly to reveal Sai'x, grinning madly. Shade glared daggers at him.

"Where is Marluxia?"

Sai'x's grin widened. "You should be more worried about yourself. You see, me and the others have been looking for a new source of...entertainment for a while now. Marluxia is good enough, but Demyx has gotten boring. You, on the other hand, might be just what we're looking for." Before Shade could react, Sai'x's fist connected with the side of his head. Before he could fall, Sai'x grabbed him and forced him up against the counter along the far wall, carelessly knocking the old coffee maker to the floor. "Play nicely and I may just let you get out of here alive."

Still grinning, he crushed his lips against those of the younger boy. He inwardly laughed when the boy opened his mouth and allowed the older teen's tongue to enter. He pulled back suddenly, however, when Shade bit down hard on his tongue. "Keep your filthy hands off of me, you freak."

Enraged, Sai'x grabbed Shade roughly by his hair and slammed his head hard against the sharp edge of the counter. The red-head collapsed to the floor, blood pouring from a deep wound at his left temple. Then, regaining his composure, Sai'x drew the knife he had been concealing. "You shouldn't have fought back."

---

Marluxia lay shivering on the cold floor, the motionless figure of Demyx next to him. The others had all left, done with them for the evening. They would be back for him next Friday, but that wasn't what had Marluxia worried. He had seen Shade get knocked out by Xigbar, and had watched in horror as he was dragged away. That had been almost two hours ago, and he had yet to hear about his brother's fate.

Groaning, he sat up and adjusted his clothes. He winced when he zipped up his jeans. He would have to wear baggy clothes for a while. Looking over at Demyx, he was relieved to see that the younger teen was up and fixing himself up as well. He relief was short-lived, however, when he heard a horrible scream.

---

Shade's eyes were wide and his breath escaped him in a pained scream. The long knife was buried hilt-deep in his stomach, right above his left hip. He collapsed forward against his attacker, who grinned widely. The hand on the knife's hilt tightened it's grip and Shade let out another ragged scream as the blade was dragged upwards, coming to rest against the bottom of his ribs. A choked cough sent crimson liquid down his chin as he was shoved back, the blade sliding free and his body hitting the floor.

The red-haired teen stared up at his attacker, terror in his eyes. The scarred face looked down upon him emotionlessly, blood dripping from the blade held tightly in his grip. "I told you to stay out of my way."

Another wheezing cough was the reply as Shade staggered to his feet. Blood poured from the gaping wound and drenched his left leg in the life sustaining fluid. "F-fuck you." Catching Sai'x by surprise, he knocked the blue-haired teen out of the way and took off down the hall, passing the other members that had been coming to get in on some of the action. He burst through the doors of the school and ran towards the place that had always been his haven in the past. Hopefully, Kadaj would forgive him for barging in, but he wouldn't risk Axel and the others finding out and his father Sephiroth was a doctor.

He just hoped he would make it that far.

---

When Marluxia and Demx reached the door to the teacher's lounge, it was already empty. The pink-haired teen's heart sank when he saw the pool of blood on the floor.

Then he heard the roar of an engine and the squeal of tires. Running to the lounge window, he saw Sai'x and the others take off in his van. _They must have Shei. We HAVE to go after them. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to tell Axel what's going on._

"Demyx, we need to get to your car and follow them. You call Axel and tell him what's going on while I drive."

The only response he got was a shaky nod from the terrified blonde.

---

Axel was worried. It had been almost two hours and forty-five minutes since they left Shade at the school, and he'd heard no word from them. He was about to suggest that they head back to the school when his cellphone rang. Answering quickly, he was surprised to find Demyx on the line. The kid sounded panicked.

"Calm down, Demyx. Deep breath. Now, tell me what's going on." The others in the room were now focused on Axel.

_"Sai'x grabbed Shade and took off in his van! Shade's hurt, but we don't know how bad. There was blood all over the floor!"_

The color immediately drained from Axel's face. "Where are they headed?"

_"We're not sure. Marluxia and I are tailing them in my car, but they seem to be going all over the place. It's almost like their looking fo- OH MY GOD!"_

Axel gripped the phone tighter. "Demyx? Demyx! What's going on! What happened!" Now the others were staring at him. Roxas looked panicked at the mention of his brother's name, and Reno's eyes stared into Axel's, searching.

_"They DON'T have Shade! They've been tailing him! He's out front of Kadaj's place. God, he's bleeding bad!"_

"Okay. Stay there. We're coming right awa-"

_"FUCK! SAI'X HAS A GUN! HE'S GONNA-"_

The sound of a gunshot echoed in Axel's ear as he dropped the phone from trembling fingers. Reno moved quickly to his side. "Axel, what's going on?"

The younger of the two looked at Reno, eyes full of panic. "Shei's in trouble."

---

Shade had just stumbled onto Sephiroth's front lawn when he heard the squeal of tires. Turning wearily, he was startled to see Sai'x pull up in front of the house in his black van, the other members inside. He didn't notice the second car as he turned around and ran for the front door of the house. He heard a gun going off behind him, then felt a sudden sharp pain in the back of his head. His momentum kept him going for a few steps before he fell. He collapsed heavily against the door as the world around him began to fade.

His last thought was of Kadaj's angry face, telling him that he never wanted to see him again. A few silent tears trailed down his face as the darkness took him away.

**"Where can I go to make my loneliness vanish? I always have tomorrow." - _Mizerable_, Gackt**

-----------------End Chapter Four----------------

A/N: As the Shade fangirls (if there ARE any) run off crying into the night. Sorry if all the changing scenes lost some people. '

One thing to note in this chapter, the scene in the beginning where they are filming that video is based off of true events with me and my friends a few years ago in Comm Tech. It had the exact same things going on, and the parts with Yuffie saying 'Fuck' and then freaking out actually happened. For those wondering, Kadaj is in my place, while Shade is in the place of my friend Kevin and Yuffie is in my friend Ashley's place. There was no kissing or romance in the true story, though.

And, I just HAD to put in the part with G looking like Gackt, since Gackt was the actor who played him.

Also, no Bishounen were hurt in the making of this fic. At least not in ways that would permanently impair them. Oo

Same as always, peeps. Read and Review.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Kay, ya'll are probably going to hate me now for this, but the updates are going to be coming a bit slower. Nothing drastic, but there will be a space of a few day's between updates, at least for a while. Nothin' big.

Heh. I didn't think people would end up caring about an OC, but then again, I didn't go all Mary Sue or anything. Truthfully, I love Shade to death, and he is one of my favorite OC's that I created for a book I'm attempting to write! n.n'

Shade: sniff I feel so loved!

Also, I don't own the character Noah. She belongs to the lovely NoahBluze, my Number One Fan. Have a Shei Plushie!

And Kazutaka Muraki doesn't belong to me either!

Aaaaaaanywho. I know some people are just DYING to know what happens to Shade. So, without further ado, here's Chapter Five of Kismet High!

-------------Chapter Five--------------

**"And never again, and never again. They gave us two shots to the back of the head, and we're all dead now." - _I Never Told You What I Do For A Living_, My Chemical Romance**

Genesis was in the kitchen grabbing a late snack when he heard it.

He was ready to call it a night, but his growling stomach refused to let him sleep until it was satisfied. On his way into the kitchen he had noticed his older son and his blonde crush sitting on the couch in the living room, watching some movie. The two had exchanged a chaste kiss, and were paying far more attention to each-other than the movie. He could imaging that Riku and the little brunette were doing much the same thing. _Teenagers. Hard to believe I was like that once._

Then came the gunshot, followed by the heavy thud of something hitting the door. Quickly, he ran past the two startled teens on the couch and into his room, returning seconds later with his service pistol. Sometimes it paid to be a cop.

He slowly reached for the door, wondering if one of the local gangs Leon had told him about was responsible for the shot. Standing clear of the doorway, he quickly pulled the door open and was startled when a red-headed teen fell through the doorway. He took his eyes from the boy just in time to see a black van speeding off, with another car parking at the curb. Two people sprang from the car, their panicked shouts echoing in the still air. "Shade!"

Returning his gaze to the teen at his feet, he noticed that the boy hadn't moved. He kneeled carefully next to him and felt for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak. He studied the red-haired teen's tattooed face and noticed how the boy's glazed green eyes were half open and staring, and the skin around them was red, as if he had been crying. There was also a steady stream of red trickling from his mouth. He filed those observations to the back of his mind as he began checking for wounds.

Aside from the bruises visible outside his clothing, the first thing he noticed was the gaping wound in the boy's abdomen. When he saw how ragged the tear in the flesh was, he winced at the thought of how painful it must have been. Though terrible, it seemed that was the only wound of significance until Genesis noticed the trail of blood that covered the boy's neck and dripped onto the floor. With a sinking feeling, the brunette gently brushed aside some of the hair on the back of the teen's head and saw what he had been dreading. There, a few centimeters above the base of the boy's skull, was the hole made by the bullet.

"Shit. Leon, go wake up Seph and the others." When his eldest son nodded and took off up the stairs, he then turned to Cloud. "You, call the paramedics. Fast!" When the blonde didn't move, Genesis was prepared to shout when he noticed the look of horrified recognition on his face as he stared at the wounded teen. "Do you know this kid?"

Cloud nodded, and was about to speak when the two figures from the second car came running across the porch. The taller of the two, a boy with long pink hair, dropped to his knees next to the injured teen on the floor, a look of utmost horror on his face. "S-shei?" He began to tremble, and the smaller blonde next to him wrapped him in shaking arms as he began to sob.

Genesis turned back to Cloud. "Paramedics. Now!" The blonde was off in a flash, running for the phone in the kitchen. When he was gone, his attention returned to the two newcomers. "Who are you?"

It was the small blond that spoke. "M-my name is Demyx Strife. Cloud's my older brother." Readjusting his arms around the shaking teen in his arms, he continued. "This is Marluxia Tarshil. That's his brother, Shade." He gestured to the bleeding red-head. A spark of recognition flitted through the brunettes mind as he remembered his nephew Kadaj talking fondly of the boy, and he could vaguely remember seeing him around the house a few times.

Genesis was about to question them about what had happened, when his attention was drawn to his own brother running down the stairs. There was a bag of emergency medical supplies in his left hand, and he immediately dropped down next to the police officer.

Shaking his head sadly, Seph turned to his brother. "I can't really do anything for him here. The sooner we get him to the hospital, the better."

At that moment, Cloud re-entered the room. "The paramedics are on their way. An ambulance happened to be close by and it should be here within a few minutes."

Genesis stood slowly and nodded. At the moment, that was the best any of them could do. Then, he heard a sharp inhalation of breath behind him, followed by an exclamation of 'Shade!'. He turned just in time to see Kadaj's eyes roll back in his head as the boy collapsed, his two brothers catching him before he fell.

---

Axel's knuckles were white as his hands clenched the steering wheel. Stealing a glance at the car's other three occupants, he applied more pressure to the gas. Roxas looked like he was about to cry and Rufus's icy eyes were even colder than normal, while Reno's expression was a perfect match of his own. Panic, fear, and rage were warring for dominance, and fear was winning. He barely applied the brakes as he turned the last corner, slamming them on hard to come to a sudden screeching halt in front of the Hojo house. Then he was out of the car like a bat out of Hell, his brother and the two blondes behind him.

An ambulance was parked in the driveway, and as Axel and the others closed in on the house, they could see the two Emergency Medical personnel wheeling a gurney from the house. All he could see as they loaded the gurney into the ambulance was a head of bright red hair, but it was enough. He jogged quickly to catch up to them.

"Let me go with him." The two emergency workers regarded him skeptically. "Please. I'm his brother." After a moment's hesitation, they nodded. Hopping into the back of the vehicle, he turned to Reno. "You follow with Rufus and Roxas. The others are sure to follow as well."

---

Reno nodded as the doors to the ambulance were closed. Moving out of the way as the emergency vehicle passed, he ran back to the car as Rufus and Roxas followed. He was dimly aware of Demyx and Marluxia hopping into the sitarist's old car, as well as Genesis and Sephiroth loading their sons into G's black hummer. He was surprised, however, to see Sora hopping into the hummer next to Riku, while Leon hopped onto Cloud's bike. _Ah, well. We'll have time for that later._

The ride to the hospital went surprisingly quick, and soon everyone was left standing in the waiting room, anxiousness written over their features. Reno was leaning back in Rufus's arms when he noticed a smoldering pair of blue eyes locked on him.

"You got a problem, Strife?" His agitated tone got the attention of the rest of the group, though only a few understood the malice in his words.

Cloud bristled from where he stood next to Leon. "Not really. It's just that it didn't take you very long to find yourself a new boyfriend."

Reno growled low. "Looks like I wasn't the only one, either."

Cloud stepped forward quickly and grabbed Reno by the collar of his shirt. The two probably would have glared at each other for hours on end if it weren't for the voice that came to them from up the hall: "Cloud Strife, you put Reno down this instant!"

Cloud let go of Reno in surprise and looked up just as a feminine hand knocked him to the floor. The girl then threw her arms around Reno in a strong hug.

Looking at the girl, Cloud recognized her as the girl named Noah, whose friend had decked him in school. She had long silver hair that fell two her knees that was pulled back and wrapped in long black ribbons, with several wispy strands hanging loose in the front. Three golden hoops hung from each ear, with a small metal die hanging from her right. A black choker hung around her neck with the kanji for metal in silver on the front, and a long chain dangled from the back with a dragon pendant on the end, ending at her waist. She was wearing a black shirt with a rubber duckie and the word's 'Quack job on the front, a pair of rainbow gloves that went from knuckle to elbow, an old pair of jeans with a black rose patch on the knee, and black combat boots with skull laces. Over all of this was a white hoodie jacket, with a chibi angel wing and devil wing embroidered across the shoulders.

This was Noah Takaminei, Reno's girlfriend before he had started dating Cloud. She had been the first and only girl that Reno had dated. They didn't break up on bad terms, but rather decided that their relationship just wasn't working. They had stayed good friends and Noah had even become very protective of Reno. She was currently dating Duo Maxwell, the captain of the school soccer team.

"N-noah! What are you doing here?" Confusion was written plainly across Reno's features. The silver-haired girl giggled nervously.

"Well, silly Duo fell out of his window when he tried to sneak out of his house. Poor guy broke his leg, so here we are. But what are you guys all doing here?"

Hearing the worried tone in her voice made Reno nervous. Though she was close to Reno, one of her best friends was Shei, who was now fighting for his life on the other side of the operating room doors. He knew that she would take the news hard; her parents had died when she was young and she lived alone, and she got really attached to the few friends she had.

"Well, Shei was…-"

"-he was shot outside of my home." All heads turned towards the speaker, who happened to be Genesis. "It appeared that he had been stabbed sometime before and had, for some reason, run towards our house. He took a bullet in the head as he reached our doorstep."

Noah clapped her hands to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. "Is he…?"

Reno quickly shook his head. "Right now the doctors are doing what they can for him. You know Shei, he wouldn't go down without a fight." He tightened his arms around her in a comforting gesture, but didn't feel too sure himself.

"Speaking of a fight." Axel turned towards Demyx and Marluxia. Demyx was seated in one of the waiting room chairs, with Roxas sitting next to him offering comfort. Marluxia, on the other hand, was sitting in the seat next to him, staring blankly into space. "You guys wouldn't happen to know what happened to him at the school, _would you?"_

Demyx whimpered and seemed to fold in on himself, while Marluxia seemed to recover from his daze. Marluxia glanced over at Axel, wondering just how much he could tell him. Making up his mind, he was about to answer when a doctor approached the group. Everyone immediately focused on what he would have to say.

The doctor that stood before them was tall, standing just over six feet. Every inch of him was covered in white. His hair was a wispy silver that fell to cover his right eye. His visible eye was a steely grey, behind the rim of his glasses.

"I am Dr. Kazutaka Muraki. I am looking for those related to Mr. Shei Tarshil."

It was Reno who spoke. "That would be the three red-heads standin' in here, sir. But go ahead and tell everyone here what the news is about Shei. We all need to know."

Looking mildly irritated, the doctor nodded. "I'll start with the knife wound. Though it was deep, it seems to have missed most of his vital organs. The only complications from the wound, as far as we could tell, was slight damage to his left kidney and some damage to his stomach and left lung, which accounted for the blood in his mouth. The damage wasn't too extensive, however, and he should recover fully from that wound."

Those gathered heaved a sigh of relief, but Reno had a sinking feeling that he would like what he heard next.

"As for the bullet wound, however, he wasn't quite so lucky. Thankfully, it didn't penetrate too far into his brain, but some brain damage did occur. We won't know the extent of the damage until he awakes, but it could mean a loss of hearing, speech, or even his sight. Only time will tell what form the damage takes and how permanent it is. Though, brain damage aside, that would should also heal nicely."

Now Reno was trembling, and he could hear Noah sobbing into his shoulder. The looks of relief that had crossed the other's faces had disappeared at the words 'brain damage'.

Swallowing thickly, Reno asked, "May we see him?"

Brushing a small strand of hair away from his face, Dr. Muraki nodded. "Yes. But I only want two of you in there at a time, for now."

Sighing in relief, Reno turned to his two other brothers. "Axe, Marl, you two go ahead. I'll go in with Noah afterwards, okay?"

Nodding, the two red-heads entered the room, closing the door softly behind him.

It was only a few minutes later that the rest of the group heard a loud commotion down the hall. Turning to look, Reno saw a flash of cropped red hair down the hall and stiffened.

"Where the FUCK is my son! You assholes better tell me where the little bastard is, RIGHT NOW!"

Noah saw the terrified look on Reno's face and immediately became worried. "What is it?"

Voice trembling, Reno spoke in a barely audible whisper. "It's my dad."

-------------------------End Chapter Five----------------------------

**A/N**: I know, most of you guys probably want to lynch me by now for not updating sooner. I'm sorry! Blame the parentals! They are total Computer Nazis!

Reno: That and you're a lazy bum.

Shei: Yeah, I'm surprised Noah didn't try to strangle you.

Hehe. Aaaanywho. You know what the little button there is for, so use it and review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Ahehehehe. O.o' Man, time flies when you don't update, ne? Sorry it's been so long, people. I was trying to work out some things with the storyline here and there. I knew how I wanted it to work out, tiz just the wording that's a problem…

**Warnings:** Same as previous chapters.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** Okay, well maybe not so important…. But I now have an account on Gaiaonline. My account name is Shadow of the Blood Moon. If you send me a message, make the message subject 'From I'll talk to anyone who messages me! Another kewl note, LORD ALBEL AND THE IRON MAIDEN WILL BE ATTENDING COMIC-CON 2007!!!

Also, I do not own the Magnificent Lord Nox. He belongs to Square.

And now, on to the story!

-----------------------Chapter Six-------------------------------

Axel and Marluxia sat on either side of the single bed in the sterile white room, as the Doctor stood off to the side. Both brothers held on of Shei's limp hands, silently begging him to wake up, but knowing that it wasn't likely to happen so soon. After sitting there for a few moments, Axel remembered his earlier question to Marluxia.

"You know, Marl, you never did answer me out there."

He saw Marluxia's shoulders sag as the elder of the two let out a sigh. "No, I didn't. I guess I owe you that, huh?" At Axel's curt nod, the pink haired teen sighed again. "He kind of caught Sai'x and the others…well…having their way with me and Demyx." Marluxia turned his eyes towards the floor, unable to bear the disgust that must be on Axel's face.

In truth, the look on his brother's face was that of cold anger. "How long has THIS been going on?"

Marluxia flinched at his brother's tone, but answered nonetheless. "As far as I know, they've been doing this to Demyx since you and him broke up a few years ago." With his eyes averted, Marluxia didn't notice the look of guilt that flashed across his brother's face. "As for me, they only started using me a few weeks ago. Shei found out after the last time, but I made him promise not to tell you. He must've heard me and Demyx screaming, because we saw him come through the door and get knocked out by Xigbar. And after that, well…" He gestured to the motionless boy on the bed with a defeated sigh.

Axel was speechless. Looking at his older brother's defeated form, he couldn't help but feel bitter anger toward's Sai'x and the rest of their so-called friends in the Organization. "So all those times that you and Demyx disappeared…"

"Yes. We were with them."

"Then I suggest that you and this Demyx have yourselves tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases."

Both brothers turned to the forgotten Doctor that had been listening quietly from the corner of the room. He stood still as a statue, his visible eye locked firmly on Marluxia. "If you go now, I will make sure that it is made the top priority."

Marluxia nodded his thanks while Axel sat horrified. _Not only did they RAPE him, but they could have made him sick as well? And what about Demyx?_

Just then they heard shouts outside the door. Axel heard what he thought was Reno's voice, then a loud smack followed by an outraged shout from Rufus and a loud cry from Noah. The door to the room burst open to reveal their father, Jonas Tarshil, standing in the doorway.

The man stood at an intimidating six feet and four inches. His flaming red hair was cropped short to his skull and he had vivid greed eyes like his sons. His body was well toned and spoke of long hours at the gym, the muscles taut under the skin. His murderous gaze swept the room and landed on Shei. He immediately moved towards him.

"You little Son of a Bitch!!! Do you have ANY idea how much this is gonna cost me?!"

Eyes full of murderous intent, the man advanced towards his helpless son. In a flash of white and silver, the Doctor stood before him. "Sir, I cannot allow this-"

Jonas viscously backhanded the Doctor and sent him sprawling backwards, knocking over Axel in the process. "Stay out of my way. You're just as annoying as that girl out there. I should've smacked her too." Without even batting an eye, he shoved Marluxia to the side and grabbed Shei by the throat. "You and those other little bastards have cost me so much, and what do I get in return!?" He began to shake his unconscious son, spewing obscenities the whole time. The machines hooked up to Shei began beeping in an erratic fashion, and Axel panicked. He was about to lunge at his father when he noticed the Doctor standing behind him.

With a deft motion, Muraki jabbed a needle into Jonas's arm and injected him with the contained substance. Jonas turned to glare at the man as he began to feel the affect, and met the cold gaze of the Doctor.

The blow to his face had knocked Muraki's glasses off, and the Doctor glared at him with both of his mismatched eyes visible. Unlike the steely grey of his right eye, Muraki's left eye was an intense and brilliant blue.

"No one, I repeat, NO ONE, threatens my patients or my family, do you understand?"

Jonas's eyes rolled back and he collapsed heavily to the floor at the Doctor's feet. Moving quickly, he went to check on Shei. Luckily, from what he could see, the boy was fine. After settling him back into the bed, he stooped down to retrieve his glasses and put them back on his face, adjusting his hair so that it fell over his right eye once more. The others from the waiting area soon crowded into the room.

Muraki turned to Genesis. "Officer Leonhart, it's been a while. Could you take this gentleman somewhere that he wont be a problem, preferably to a cell?" Genesis nodded and hefted the sleeping Jonas off of the floor. With Sephiroth's help, he headed down to his car.

Moving his attention to the others, Muraki spoke. "Thankfully, Mr. Tarshil didn't cause any major harm to Shei. He will be fine." Just then, Noah ran to Muraki and hugged onto him. "Are you okay, Kazu-chan? I saw him hit you! Are you okay?"

The others stared at the two. It was Reno who spoke first. "K-kazu-chan?"

Noah saw the confused looks on their faces and chuckled nervously. "Oh, right. I didn't tell you earlier, but Kazutaka here is my cousin! He's my last living relative, and he's been taking care of me since my parents died."

Looking back and forth between the two, Axel could see the resemblance.

Muraki's mind, however, was already on other matters. "Marluxia, I want you and your friend Demyx to go get your blood tested. I'll call you personally with the results." Marluxia nodded and pulled a startled Demyx from the room, as everyone else, minus Axel, looked at the Doctor questioningly.

Axel sighed. "Guess I have to fill you guys in."

Looking around, Kadaj had trouble figuring out where he was. The last thing he remembered was seeing Shei's motionless body on his doorstep, then everything had gone black. Now he was standing on the roof of a tall building under a dark sky.

"Where am I?"

"We are on the roof of the hospital."

The voice caused Kadaj to turn around quickly to see the speaker. He spotted him balanced lightly on the edge of the roof, his back towards him. Emerging from the person's back were a pair of large, bat-like wings, and three rows of black horns adorned his head. But what caught Kadaj's attention was the flame red hair and the chain hanging from the choker around the person's neck.

"Shei? What's going on?"

There was a low rustling sound as Shei shifted his wings and turned to face Kadaj. The silver haired teen let out a loud gasp when he saw his face.

The red-head's face was split into a large fanged grin, and his eyes glittered insanely. Trails of bloody tears trickled from those eyes, which had changed from their normal green to a horrific red.

"Don't you see, Kadaj. You've sent me to Hell!"

The silver haired teen screamed as he felt the floor collapse beneath him and he fell into a dark abyss, Shei's laughter following him down.

He suddenly jerked forward and found himself looking at the interior of his uncle's hummer. He took a moment to calm himself when he noticed his father and uncle looking at him with concern. Then, without hesitation, he flung himself into his father's arms.

"Dad! Please tell me that he's okay!"

Patting his son's head reassuringly, Sephiroth whispered, "Yes, he's okay, son."

As he guided the distraught teen from the hummer, Kadaj noticed Genesis tossing a red-haired man none too gently into the back seat.

"I'm taking this loser to the station where he can cool off in a cell. I'll be back later."

Reno sat back heavily in his chair after hearing Axel's explanation. "Man. That bastard Sai'x is gonna pay! I can't believed he was doing that to Marl and Demyx this whole time!"

Off to the side, Cloud, Sora, and Roxas were having a hard time dealing with it as well.

"Demyx was…" Sora started, but stopped at the looks on the other's faces. Without thinking, he turned and buried his head in Riku's chest, letting out a muffled sob.

Axel, meanwhile, was shaking with mixed feelings of guilt and anger. Guilt, for not being able to protect his brother and friend, and anger at the fact that someone would hurt them this way. "I'll kill that bastard when I find him!"

"Who's killing who now?"

Those assembled all turned towards the door to get a look at the newcomer. He stood around 5'10'', and had long black hair tied back into two clothbound braids, with the tips and his bangs bleached blond. His eyes were a rich brown that appeared almost red, and his lanky form was clothed in black dress pants, black boots, and a black button-up shirt. A black trench coat covered all of this, though the left sleeve hung suspiciously empty. Upon seeing the black shoulder holster for the man's pistol, Axel clamped his mouth shut. It was Reno who spoke up.

"Who the Hell are you?"

The man's response was paired with a lazy smirk. "I'm Detective Albel Nox."

Reno sighed. "So, you're here to investigate what happened, huh?"

Albel walked calmly into the room and took of his coat, which he flung carelessly onto the back of an empty chair. That was when they realized why the left sleeve had been vacant. His left arm, from halfway between the elbow and shoulder, was gone. "Yeah, though that's not why I'm here at the moment. I'm looking for my partner, Genesis."

Leon's eyebrow's rose. "YOU'RE Dad's partner?" He got a nod in return. "He's down in the parking lot with my Uncle."

"I see." With that, the detective grabbed his coat and left the room. It was a few moments before anyone spoke.

"Well, it's getting late, and as much as I hate to say it, everyone should be getting home." The others nodded at Reno's suggestion and cleared the room slowly. The last person to leave was Noah, and when she was sure no one was looking, she placed a gently kiss on Shei's cheek and left.

---------End Chapter Six---------------

**A/N: **Yeah, I'm evil. v.v Sorry it took me FOREVER to update. Don't really have an excuse other than lazyness and lack of decent computer time. n.n'

Aaaaanywho, same as always, peeps. Read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Gah! Two freakin' months!!! Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to take so long to get this up! Since it's been so long, I wont waste your time with an author's note. On to the Story!!!

I'm adding a new element to this fic. Read on to find out.

Warnings for mentions of slight gore and abuse in this chapter.

--------------Chapter Seven-------------

Noah sighed as she sat by Shei's bed. It had been three days and he still hadn't woken up. She came by as often as she could, along with most of the others, but the ones who should have been there the most were sadly absent.

After the incident with Shei's father, his brother's had been staying home and doing everything possible to keep the enraged man away from the hospital.

Looking at her watch, Noah noticed that it was already rather late. _I'll go home soon, but I'm just not ready to leave yet. I'm glad Kazu-chan let me in here._

"Noah, you need to rest." Her smoky green eyes rose to meet a pair that was almost exactly the same as her own. A weary smile graced her features as she shook her head. "Just a little longer, Tsuki. He'll wake up soon. I know it!"

The teen sitting across from her smiled sadly as Noah's attention drifted back to the boy lying motionless in the bed. Though it was hard to tell when he was sitting, the teen was quite tall. He had long silver hair, longer than Noah's, that fell to his ankles and was held back by a wrap of studded black leather. Several black earrings adorned his ears, the most prominent being in the shape of a crescent moon through his left earlobe, along with a spiked collar around his neck. He wore a tight fitting black tank top covered by a long sleeved mesh shirt. Black fingerless gloves covered both hands and were adorned with metal plates. Black leather pants covered his lower half, with two red stripes above the left knee and one below his right, with studded belts crossing his hips. The outfit was finished off with a pair of thick leather steel-toed boots. A black dragon was tattooed on his left bicep, with it's tail coiling around his arm several times before ending curled around a red eye.

Though his clothing made him look menacing, he radiated a sense of kindness that was comforting to any around him. Or it would have, if not for the fact that his entire body was transparent. This was Tsuki Takaminei, Noah's elder brother, who had died three years ago at the age of nineteen.

Nearly five years ago, not long after Noah had turned twelve, their parents had died in a horrible car accident. Without a known relative to take care of them, Tsuki, then seventeen, had to take care of himself and his sister all on his own. Needing to make ends meet, Tsuki was forced to drop out of high school in order to find a job that would support them. It worked, for a time. But what Noah didn't know was that Tsuki's health was failing. He did his best to hide it from her, often telling her that he was simply tired.

But then, one day, he had collapsed. He had just come home one evening from work, and had just stepped through the door when he fell. That was when the doctors discovered that a nasty illness had worked its way into his lungs. It was too late for them to do anything, and Noah was forced to watch as her older brother became weaker and weaker, until he eventually died.

It was only a few days later that their cousin Muraki arrived, telling her that he had just recently been released from a hospitalization of his own. The seemingly cold man took her in without a second thought, and she'd been living with him ever since.

What Muraki didn't know, however, was that she still saw Tsuki, and still talked to him.

"Noah, it won't do either of you any good if you wind up sick. Go home. Rest. I'll watch him."

As she reluctantly stood to leave, her shoulders shook as she held back sobs. "I can't lose him, Tsuki! I've already lost Mom and Dad. And you! I can't lose anyone else!"

Standing quickly, Tsuki wrapped transparent arms around his sister. "Don't worry, sis. He'll be fine." Noah buried her head into his chest, crying softly. "Don't leave me again, Tsuki. Please don't leave."

Neither noticed the pair of mismatched eyes that watched the scene from the doorway. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Muraki gave a small huff of disapproval, before turning and walking away.

--- ((And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!!!))

Another two days had passed, and Noah once again sat in the little room, now joined by Reno, Axel, and Marluxia. The three were talking quietly amongst themselves, about unimportant things.

…_voices? Who…? Where…am I?_

Axel made a rather rude remark about Cloud, which sent the others into peals of laughter. It was the first time any of them had laughed in days.

_Is that…Noah? My brothers? Why does my head hurt so much, and why can't I open my eyes?_

A small groan from the lone figure in the bed brought all conversation to a screeching halt. Suddenly, all eyes were on Shei.

_Come on! Open!_

Slowly, Shei's eyes opened. His eyes moved around the room sluggishly, blinking.

Noah's hands rose to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. The brothers fought back tears of their own as they watched their brother awaken. Axel and Reno looked at each other, noticing that they each wore matching grins. Marluxia moved forward quickly and latched on to his youngest brother's neck. "Shei! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Still blinking slowly, Shei smiled tiredly. "Glad to be back, Marl." His voice was scratchy and hoarse from a few days of disuse. "Now, would you guys mind turning on the lights?"

The others exchanged alarmed glances. Noah spoke shakily, "Shei? The lights are already on."

---

Reno and the others stood back quietly as Dr. Muraki examined Shei's eyes. It was obvious that the boy was frightened. His hands trembled and he nervously bit his lip. When the doctor was finished, all eyes turned to him. "I'm afraid that this blindness might be permanent. I'm truly sorry."

Marluxia looked as if he were about to faint. "Shei…I-"

"It's okay, Marl. I'll deal with this…somehow. So, what exactly has been happening while I was out?"

Reno's expression turned dark. "Well, for starters, we found out about what's been happening to Marl and Demyx. Sai'x has been strutting his stuff around school, and the cops were waiting for your story before arresting him. Dad came around and tried to strangle you in your sleep, and we've had to keep him away. Other than that, thing's have been juuuuust peachy."

Shei winced at his brother's tone. "I take it you're pretty pissed at me for not telling you about Marl, huh?"

"Yeah. Maybe just a little. And the fact that you didn't mention the part about Sai'x threatening you! That guy is crazy!"

"You think I don't know that?! The guy knifed me in the gut for Christ's sake!"

Shei doubled over, gripping his abdomen while letting out a hiss of pain. Seeing this, Muraki spoke.

"It would be wise not to distress him any further. His wounds still need time to heal."

Noah glared at Reno, then smiled gently at Shei. "I'm sure you had a good reason for not telling anyone." Shei smiled at her in return. "Thanks, Noah."

---

After hearing Shei's retelling of the events, Genesis and Albel wasted no time in going after Sai'x. The problem was, it was as if the blue haired teen had disappeared. No one had seen him at school that day, and he hadn't been seen entering or leaving his home. The two detectives were currently crouched on either side of his front door, guns drawn. They had announced their presence and given him fair warning, but there was still no answer.

Looking Albel squarely in the eye, Genesis nodded. As one, they both rose and kicked the door down. "Sai'x, come out with your hands up!"

They were expecting a fight with a homicidal teen and possibly the rest of his gang. What they hadn't been expecting was the muffle voice that drifted up from the basement.

"If you guys are with Shinra, your money's comin'! If you're the cops, he ain't here!"

Moving quickly, Genesis opened the basement door and the two men proceeded down the stairs. What they saw left them momentarily shocked.

A young man, in his late teens to early twenties, sat on a worn out old mattress on the floor. He wore an old tank top and jeans that were ragged and full of holes. Haggard to the point where he looked years older, his messy blue hair was pulled back in a simple strip of cloth, with several strands framing his empty yellow eyes. What drew their attention, however, was the heavy manacle around his right ankle, chained to a metal ring in the floor. His body was covered with a variety of bruises and cuts, some deep and obviously painful. His left arm was badly broken and wrapped in a blood-soaked piece of his shirt, and Genesis was sure, by looking at the suspicious lump in the cloth, that the bone of the boy's wrist may be protruding from the skin.

The shock having worn off, Genesis quickly grabbed his radio. "We have a man chained up in the basement here and he's in pretty bad shape. Get an ambulance here right away."

Albel, meanwhile, still stood where he was. The blue eyed boy turned hollow eyes towards him and offered a smile.

"Sorry I didn't get up to let you guys in. I was a little tied up. The name…is…Kael…" The boy's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped forward.

Albel turned and shouted, panicked, "Get that fucking ambulance here, now!"

That was when Genesis saw what had worried his partner. With the boy slumped over like this, it was easy to see the handle of the large knife embedded in his back.

-------------------End Chapter Seven---------------------

**A/N: **And my twisted little plot continues. But hey! Shei's awake! Blind, but awake! And just in time for a new character to worry about! XD

As always, read and review!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Gah! Man, really don't have any new excuses for late updates….bleh.

Just for that, I'm going to put a little bit of lemony goodness into this fic. My first, in fact!

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS LEMON. YOU NO LIKE, YOU NO READ. COMPRENDE????

-----------Chapter Eight----------

Cloud walked into the cafeteria in a light daze. Recent events had left him stunned, especially the knowledge of what had happened to his brother. That such a thing had been happening, repeatedly, without him knowing was horrifying. Add to that the fact that Marl had been attacked as well, and Shei almost killed, and it was just too much for a high school senior to take. _I should just focus on school right now and harass myself mentally when I get home._

Looking around, he noticed that everyone in the cafeteria was looking at him. Aside from those immediately involved, no one knew about Demyx and Marluxia, and they only knew the vaguest details about Shei, who was currently still in hospital, blind. Therefore, the looks he was receiving were the same looks of loathing he'd been receiving ever since his breakup with Reno. Therefore, finding a table was going to be difficult.

"Yo! Blondie! Over here!" He looked up to see a black clad arm waving him over. _Oh, God. This is just what I need. _Nevertheless, he was grinning as he headed over to the table. As he sat, he was surprised to see Leon already waiting for him. Sitting across from them were two people that Cloud had known ever since he was a young child.

Sitting directly across from him was Quinn. Cloud's age, he was quiet and rarely said a word to those outside of his small circle of trusted people. His eyes were a light blue that seemed even lighter with his pale skin and pitch black hair. It was styled in such a way that his left eye was almost always covered. He wore a black Lostprophets T-shirt, close fitting black jeans, black boots, and a matching set of studded bracelets, belt, and choker. Two black studs in his right ear completed the ensemble.

To Quinn's left, and directly across from Leon, was Quinn's boyfriend, Derrick. His long black hair was messy and tied back. He wore a deep red shirt, with a skull bearing the Anarchy symbol on it's forehead, over a long sleeved black shirt. Two studded belts criss-crossed over his hips, and he was wearing black cargos and combat boots. He wore a matching set of studded accessories similar to Quinn's, and had several piercings through each ear and eyebrow, a ring at the left corner of his lower lip, and a stud in his right nostril. Add to that the mismatched eyes, left brown and right blue, and you had a rather shocking appearance.

It was no wonder that around school those two were known as Emo Dude and Goth Boy.

"Looks like ya don't have any choice today, do ya?" Derrick grinned as he spoke. The flat voice that spoke next was clearly Quinn's. "It seems the entire school has it in for you."

As Quinn and Derrick (mostly Derrick), went on to describe various means of torture that the schoolgirls were planning for him, Cloud noticed something about his two friends that he hadn't seen there before. Every time that Derrick would nudge Quinn or send some kind of racy remark his way, Quinn would simply shrug him off. It wasn't downright rejection, but a strange coldness that had always been there that Cloud was just starting to notice. Quinn truly didn't seem to care about anything or anyone, and the blonde could see that it was having an affect on Derrick. The small sad glances when he thought no one was watching, the sighs, it was all there.

Cloud was seeing the same thing in them that had been there between himself and Reno. Sure, he wasn't as cold as Quinn, but it was close enough, and he had never realized how much it was hurting the red-head. He only hoped that Quinn would realized what he was doing to his lover before it was too late.

Cloud was snapped out of his musings by a hand waving in front of his face. Derrick, obviously. "Yoo, hoo! Ya in there?" Noticing Cloud's embarrassment at being caught zoning, an evil glint rose into the Goth's eye. Cloud swore he could almost see horns in that mess of black hair. "Or were ya too busy fantasizin' over your new boy-toy there?"

This time Cloud's embarrassment turned his whole face red. "He is not my boy-toy!"

The evil glint got more sinister. "Oh yeah? Then that means I can do this!" And without another word, Derrick leaned forward across the table and planted a solid kiss on Leon's lips.

It was only later that afternoon that Cloud remembered Derrick's expression. How the kiss didn't even get a reaction from Quinn. And how the light seemed to dim a little more in Derrick's eyes.

-------

Reno sighed as he watched Axel pop two of the small white pills into his mouth for the third time that day. "It's getting' pretty bad, huh?" They were currently hanging out on the school grounds during their fifth period spare.

Axel shrugged. "It's been worse. Just been acting up lately, that's all."

Ever since the fire that had left Axel's arms and back badly scarred, barely healed skin had been raw and oversensitive. The pills were to help counteract that effect. Usually, Axel only used the pills once every few days, as he needed them. Lately, however, it seemed he was needing to take them more often. He shook his head. "It's just all the stress of recent events, s'all."

"Yeah. Bet your dad's just thrilled with what happened to Shei, huh?"

The two looked up to see Derrick standing over them. Without waiting for a reply, the goth teen sat down between the two brothers. The older teen knew of the Tarshil's family problems. He suffered the same at home and was able to tell when others were suffering the same fate. From an early age his mother's husband (Derrick had been born as the result of an affair his mother had) had beaten him for anything and everything. First it was his taste in music, then his taste in clothes, and now it was his taste in dates. Only difference between his problems and those of the Tarshil boys was that Derrick was often used as a substitute for his mother, late at night. Reno and the others didn't know that part, though.

Reno sighed. "Yeah. Ecstatic. I'm just worried about what will happen when Shei comes home. I just hope he doesn't-"

"Well, well. What do we have here? Is this where all the little fags meet to have their make out sessions?"

The three looked up to see Xaldin standing over them. Reno stood up, quickly followed by Derrick and Axel. "Last time I checked, you were into fucking guys too, pal."

Xaldin sneered. "Whatever. I come bearing a message from Sai'x. You and your buddies, along with the cops, better back off now, or a certain little blond will be in trouble." He looked at Axel, sneer growing. Axel launched himself at the raven haired teen. "You touch Roxas and I'll rip your fucking throat out!" Derrick and Reno were quick to grab the fuming red-head and pull him back as Xaldin walked away, chuckling darkly.

------

Cloud sat down heavily on Leon's bed. They had come straight to the brunette's house after school to work on a project for one of their classes. "Damn. Does Mr. Valentine have to give us so much work?"

"Hey. At least we have more time for this one." Cloud grumbled an acknowledgment. Leon sat down next to him on the bed and for a moment the two only looked at each other. Feeling the heat rising to his cheeks, Cloud looked away. "S-so. Where should we start? He gave us that site and-" He was cut off but a pair of lips locking with his. His eyes widened in shock for a moment before closing as he deepened the kiss. The brunette's tongue ran lightly over his lower lip.

As he parted his lips in invitation, Cloud felt himself being slowly pushed down into the mattress, until Leon was lying over him. Running his hands lightly through the messy brown hair, he gasped when he felt Leon's knee applying pressure between his legs. While the scarred teen's mouth moved to latch on to the sensitive skin at the nape of Cloud's neck, one hand slowly slid down, then back up under the blonde's shirt, stroking the firm skin he found there.

Leon removed himself from Cloud's neck long enough to remove the blonde's shirt before latching on to a more interesting target: his nipple. Cloud let out a surprised moan, hands tightening in the soft brown hair of his lover's head. Giving the tiny bud a light nip, Leon was quick to move to the other, giving it the same treatment. Then he was moving farther downward, until he kissed the skin above the blonde's pant line. "You sure this is okay?"

The blond nodded, unable to form coherent words at that moment. He just wanted to be rid of his now restrictive jeans that had become suddenly too tight. Leon granted him his wish, unzipping them slowly in a teasing manner. Pulling those all the way off, Cloud's boxers were quick to follow. Now the blond lay completely nude below him. "Looks like something else is begging for my attention." He closed a gentle hand around the blonde's member, giving it light strokes and watching as his lover writhed underneath him. He then lowered his head and gave the tip a gentle lick, delighting in the breathless gasp from his partner.

Then, agonizingly slow, he took Cloud fully into his mouth. The younger teen's back arched and his fingers clenched tightly in Leon's hair as the brunette ran his tongue up and down the delicate shaft, sucking lightly. Leon could feel himself growing painfully hard, and he could tell from Cloud's breathy moans that he was getting close, so he quickly pulled back, grinning when the blond protested. He joined his lips with Cloud's again in a fierce kiss. "Hang on."

Rummaging through his desk drawer, he found a bottle of oil that he'd been keeping there for just this sort of thing. Rolling Cloud onto his stomach, he covered his fingers in the fluid and carefully pushed one into the blonde's entrance. Cloud gasped at the invasion, but did his best to relax as, gradually, and second, then third finger followed. When he was sure his partner was ready, Leon quickly removed his clothes and coated his own member with the fluid. "You ready?"

Cloud was sure his face couldn't get any redder. "Just do it already." Without waiting for another word, Leon slowly pushed in, not stopping until he was fully sheathed in Cloud's body. His partner gasped and let out a small whimper of pain as he adjusted to the feeling. Just when he was beginning to worry that he had hurt his lover, Leon felt Cloud push back against him. That was all the cue he needed as he pulled almost completely out of his partner, before thrusting back in. Their pace increased, as did the intensity of Cloud's moans and screams, until Leon could feel himself nearing the edge.

One hand snaked around to wrap itself around the blonde's member, and he pumped furiously to bring his lover to climax. It wasn't long before the blond let out a long cry and released his sticky white fluid onto the blanket beneath him. Cloud's muscles tightening around him, Leon made a few more frantic thrusts before finding release of his own.

Some time after, the two lay tangled together in a heap of limbs, Cloud's head resting on Leon's shoulder. Looking deeply into his lover's eyes, it seemed that Cloud was about to speak when the door to the room was suddenly thrown open to reveal Leon's dad, Genesis, standing in the doorway.

"Can you two keep it down next time? SOME of us have to work the night shift."

The door was then slammed shut, leaving a red-faced Cloud and a chuckling Leon alone once again.

-----End Chapter Eight-------

**A/N: **There you have it. My first Lemon. Gawd. Better get the tissue before my nose starts bleeding.

Aaaaanywho, read and review peeps!!!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Damn… This has been a looooong wait. Sorry doesn't cut it, huh? Hehe…

Aaaanywho, guess we'll get on with the show.

---------Chapter Nine----------

Genesis and Albel rode in relative silence, patrolling the streets at 4:00am in the morning. They had been like this for the past hour or so, Genesis glaring straight ahead, and Albel looking boredly out the window. Genesis didn't feel inclined to speak until he heard the sound of Albel messing with the straps of his prosthetic arm for the millionth time that morning. "Could you give it a rest already?"

"This goddam thing is uncomfortable," Albel snapped. "I don't see why I should be wearing it. Doesn't do a damn bit of good."

"Well," Genesis replied vehemently, "Remember what the Chief said. 'Wear it, or you'll be stuck at the station doing everyone else's paperwork.'"

The younger man looked at the brunette warily. "The Hell's got you so pissy this morning?"

The father of two grunted. "Leon and his new 'buddy' kept me up all night."

"Roughhousing?"

Genesis grinned. "Actually, I believe the term is 'Fucking like bunnies.'"

That comment earned Genesis at least another hour of blissful silence.

------------

Cloud walked quickly up to his locker, determined to make it to class without running into Riku or any of his silver-haired cousins. He had had a wonderful night, after that embarrassing episode with Leon's father, and had thought today would be a rather nice day. What he hadn't expected was the harassment he would have to suffer from the rest of his boyfriend's family that morning.

Cloud and Leon were eating breakfast in comfortable silence when Riku, Loz, Yazoo, and Kadaj came to join them. The blonde was apprehensive for a moment, but it seemed that no one else had heard their 'activities' the night before. Just when he thought he would get away unscathed, he saw Riku leer in his direction.

"So. I'm guessing from that 'I-just-got-laid' look on Strife's face that you guys had fun last night?"

He could still hear their laughter ringing in his ears. So lost in thought was he, that it took him a moment to notice that the hall had gone suddenly quiet. When he looked down the hall to see what everyone was staring at, all thoughts of anger or embarrassment left his mind.

A badly bruised and battered Derrick was walking slowly down the hall to his locker, which was located next to Cloud's. His limp while he walked was painfully obvious, to anyone who looked on. He could tell from the drawn expression on the injured teen's face that just walking was an effort. _It must be serious, _Cloud thought. _He could get his ass kicked by the whole football team and still walk away grinning like an idiot. _He heard one girl snicker something along the line of 'Fag got his ass kicked' and then the raven haired teen was next to him, opening his locker and grabbing his books for his first class.

"What the Hell happened to you?" He could keep the shock out of his voice.

"Had a little 'Pow-wow' with Sai'x and his cronies, that's what." Seeing Cloud's shocked expression, Derrick managed to crack a weak grin. "Learned some helpful tidbits, though. Tell ya after school."

As the dark haired teen limped off down the hallway, Cloud's only thought was: _Maybe now we can finally pay those bastards back._

-----------------

As Genesis and Albel made their way to Autopsy Room 4, G wondered just what kind of trouble his son may get involved in. He had heard of the gang activities, and was certain that the Turks would try something to pay back Organization XIII. Add to that the fact that two of Cloud's younger brothers and the blonde's ex were both involved and things could get dicey.

Albel paused just outside the door for a moment. When Genesis regarded him questioningly, he chuckled. "Just to let you know, the coroner can be a little…odd." That said, he pushed the door open and they entered.

The chorus of David Usher's "Black Black Heart" reached his ears immediately. There was no music at all, just a low, soft voice singing. As they approached the coroner, he understood why.

The man was tall, at least 6'2''. Messy black hair fell around his face and shoulders, not quite concealing the man's eerie violet eyes. He wore a white dress shirt complete with black tie and trousers underneath the trademark white lab coat. Hanging from a thin black strap around his neck was a small MP3 player, with the ear buds firmly secured in the man's ears. His nametag read 'Dr. Koroudo Akabane.'

Albel tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Dr. Akabane? Albel here, along with Leonhart. We're here to see that Sinclaire kid."

The coroner turned around with an eerie smile on his face, his eyes closed. He reached a long-fingered hand up to remove the headphones and nodded towards Genesis. "As you probably already know, I am Dr. Koroudo Akabane. It's a pleasure to meet you." His voice was low and smooth, very polite, but there was something about it that put Genesis on edge. As he shook the coroner's hand, he got a quick glimpse of a scar on the palm. He was vaguely aware of a matching one on the back of the same hand, but the dark haired man was already donning a pair of white latex gloves.

"The two have you have probably guessed, but the cause of death was the knife wound to the back. That was one of many factors, however." Then he began to go over the details of the corpse, which was laid out on the exam table. The young man was extremely malnourished, his ribs easily visible through the skin. The arm that had been broken, it turns out, had also become badly infected, and the young man would have died soon even had he not been stabbed.

"My conclusion is that he had been chained in that basement for quite some time, possibly by his younger brother, this Sai'x fellow. The reason, however, I will leave you to figure out, since it is your job, correct?" Once again, that eerie smiled was turned towards Genesis. All too glad that his time with this man was done, Genesis and his partner left the room, but not before hearing one last comment from Akabane. "Hmm. This Sai'x boy sounds like an interesting fellow."

Then the coroner placed his ear buds back in his ears, starting the song up again at the line 'Search for pleasure, search for pain…'

------------------------

Derrick staggered down the empty hall, headed to the nearest washroom for a chance to get himself together. The rest of the school was currently in an assembly relating to the recent gang incidents, and he REALLY didn't feel like attending. He figured he'd hide out until the assembly ended, then he would find Cloud and tell him about what Sai'x was planning. He had run into them at one of his old haunts, after fleeing his dad's drunken rage. The Goth teen had been able to hear a decent amount from the group, before an ill placed shoe had sent an old bottle rolling towards them.

They had attacked pretty quickly after that, and he was only alive because some of the weaker members were afraid to have another death on their hands. So they let him off with the usually threats to keep his mouth shut.

_Fat chance of that happening_, he thought. He pushed open the washroom door and was relieved to see that no one was in the stalls. Not that it mattered, but he didn't really want to be around people at the moment. Moving over to the line of sinks, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. _God_, he thought, _I look like crap_. A large bruise covered the left side of his face, and there were dark hollows under his eyes. Various cuts and abrasions covered his body, but the worst injury was his leg, likely broken.

He turned the tap on, and splashed a generous amount of water onto his face. As he scrubbed his tired fingers over his damaged skin, he heard the door open and several people entered. The footsteps approached him, then stopped short, as if waiting for something.

"What, got nothin' better to do than stare at lil ol' me?" Wiping his face with his sleeve, he turned to look at the newcomers, only to freeze. Sai'x stood in front of him, flanked by Xaldin and Lexaeus. The blue-haired teen sneered. "Actually, you were just the guy we wanted to see."

Derrick took a few steps back and raised his fists. He didn't doubt that this guy could do serious damage, and he had to tell Cloud, dammit! "An' what do you guys want with me?" Sai'x narrowed his eyes, but that grin was still there. "We heard a rumor that you were planning on spoiling the surprise for your little buddies."

The Goth was confused. Aside from Cloud, Reno, and Quinn, he hadn't talked to anyone. "And just where did ya hear that?" The scarred teen's reply was slow and drawn out. He was obviously enjoying this. "You could say that a little black bird told me." With that, a fourth person stepped out from behind him, and Derrick's mismatched eyes widened in shock. "Q-quinn?"

The blue eyed teen stood next to Sai'x, and Derrick watched disbelieving as the blue haired teen tossed an arm around his shoulders and kissed him roughly. "Oh, that's right. You don't know, do you? Quinn here has been my little 'toy' for quite some time. I needed a way to keep an eye on the Turks, along with Strife, and the best way was to get him together with you. He's been telling me everything."

"That's a lie!!!" Derrick lunged forward, but before he could get very far, Xaldin and Lexaeus had grabbed him, and they began dragging him to the stall in the far corner. Sai'x laughed. "Sure, tell yourself whatever you want. Now, your friend Shei survived a bullet. Let's see if you can survive six."

The last thing that Derrick saw before he was dragged into the stall was Quinn's face. Those cold blue eyes pierced into his, icy as ever. But a manic grin had spread over his face.

--------------------------

As soon as the assembly ended, Sora bolted for the nearest washroom. He'd been sitting there the whole time in misery, but he didn't want to stand for fear of drawing attention. Now, as he bolted through the doorway of the washrooms, he didn't care. He was just running to the nearest stall when an odd hacking sound caught his attention. It almost sounded like someone was choking. Finishing his business quickly, he walked down the line of stalls until he stood in the far corner. "Hey, man. You all right in there?" He rapped the door lightly with his knuckles, and it swung open.

His body froze. There was blood all over the floor of the stall, and it's source lay against the wall. He recognized him as one of Cloud's friends, but he couldn't remember the name. A rattling gasp from the wounded teen snapped Sora out of his daze and he ran forward, nearly slipping on the blood. He gently cradled Derrick in his arms. "Hey! What happened? Who did this!" Sora was trembling badly, and he was fighting hard not to burst into tears. Crying was the last thing this person needed. "Oh God. Help! Someone, help!"

Derrick's hand suddenly latched onto the collar of Sora's shirt and he went quiet. "Have…to warn…Cloud...Reno. Danger…Sai'x is…Quinn…traitor." But then the hand went limp and fell, and those odd mismatched eyes closed. He let out one last shuddering breath, then was still.

---------------

The busy hall suddenly went quiet when everyone heard a piercing scream.

------------End Chapter Nine-------------------

A/N: … Oo Oooookay. Yeeeah. S'all I'm gonna say 'bout this for now.

And for all of you who love Derrick, I'M SORRY!!! I LOVE HIM TOO!!!

Sniffle.

Well, stay tuned for the next chapter.

Just what is Sai'x planning?

And, cookies to all who can tell me what anime Akabane is from! xD


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Meeeeeeh. You guys prolly hate me now, right?

Been waaaaaaaaay too long, and I kinda left you on a cliffhanger. Well, hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint the few fans I have left.

Good news is, I finally have my own computer and internet connection, so I should be able to update my fics more often.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 10

Roxas bolted down the hallway, passing the shocked and scared faces of gathered students. He had heard his twin's scream and had felt a tightening feeling in his chest that told him something was wrong. He quickly turned the corner and skidded to a halt, heart freezing at the sight of his brother.

Sora sat leaning against the wall right outside the washroom door, teachers rushing past him to assess the bloody scene within. He had his hands bunched tightly in his hair, rocking back and forth and sobbing loudly. Roxas quickly rushed forward and dropped to his knees in front of his twin. He gathered the brunette in his arms a clutched him tightly to his chest, all the while wondering at the blood all over Sora's clothes and what had put him into such a state.

"Shhhh, Sora. It's okay, you're okay."

"Jesus, Roxas, what the Hell happened?"

He looked up to see Cloud, Leon, Reno, and Axel all standing over him. He saw how Cloud's eyes widened at the sight of blood, and could only shake his head helplessly.

"G-god. Blood…so much b-blood…"

Startled, they all looked down at the shaking brunette in Roxas's arms.

"I heard c-coughing and g-g-gagging, and when…I went to check…" A choked sob left his lips. "There was so much blood! E-everywhere! And he was t-trying to tell me something. Something about Sai'x and some g-guy named Quinn."

The three older teens went rigid at the sound of their quiet friend's name. It was Axel that broke the silence. "What…what did he say about him? Is he in trouble?!"

Sora shook his head weakly. "No. He said that he was…that he was a traitor. His face when he said it…it was so sad."

All of the color drained from Cloud's face. All of the times that Cloud had talked to Quinn and Derrick, needing someway to vent his frustrations, and the silent teen was turning around and telling everything to Sai'x? Suddenly thinking of Quinn's loving caused an entirely new feeling of dread to form in his stomach.

"This guy in there…did you happen to see his eyes?" He heard the red-haired brothers suck in their breath, no doubt having the same suspicions.

"Yeah. They were really odd too. One was blue, and the other one was brown. In fact, I think he was a friend of yours…"

Genesis and Albel were on their way to investigate one of Sai'x's old haunts when they got the call. As soon as he heard that the incident had occurred at the school and that the blue-haired teen was rumoured to be involved, he jerked the car violently around and drove as fast as possible. That bastard was going to pay!

Flashes of light…

Snippets of sound…

Everything seemed to flow by him in a faint haze. He heard two…no, three voices crying out his name, two of them sounding nearly identical. He heard frantic whispering and panicked crying. Several adult voices cursing as he was moved onto a gurney.

He witnessed it all as if from a great distance, feeling weightless and oddly numb.

Above all the noise and flashes of colors, he saw a pair of icy blue eyes, and heard a quiet voice whisper.

"_I'm sorry…forgive me…"_

Sai'x threw his coat over the back of the old chair and flopped casually onto the worn cushions. A large grin spread easily over his face.

"I'd say that takes care of that little problem quite nicely, don't you think?" He began to laugh, satisfied with the day's events. Not only had he managed to silence that pesky Derrick, but he had been able to inflict another painful emotional blow to Cloud and his little group of friends. And the look on the kid's face when he found out that his lover was only using him?

Priceless.

Speaking of Quinn, the black haired teen hadn't spoken a word since they had left Derrick to suffer and choke in his own blood. Not that that was all that unusual. He barely spoke more that two words to anyone unless he _really _needed to get his point across. His face was impassive as ever, but his shoulders were rigid. If he didn't know better, Sai'x would think that he actually cared for the odd-eyed idiot. But that was impossible. Quinn loved _no one_.

"Sai'x, bro. Maybe we should cool off for a bit, ya know? I mean, we are already in pretty deep…" His eyes snapped to Xigbar, the speaker. Then he scanned the others assembled. Lexaeus looked uncomfortable as well, while Xaldin seemed excited, and Zexion seemed merely bored.

"Ah, but don't you want to get back at Strife and his little 'Turk' buddies? Always taking over our turf and getting in our way. And now, to top it all off, we've lost four of our members to them." It didn't seem to occur to him that all four of those members were related to either Cloud or Reno from the Turks.

"Yeah, but… I mean, if we get caught, we're screwed, right?"

"Who said anything about us being caught? Are _you _going to turn us in? If you even try it, they'll find your corpse in the street with all evidence pointing towards you." Xigbar gulped and sat down on one of the many overturned milk crates littering the floor, a resigned expression on his face. "The same goes for any of you that try to betray me. Now, I want all of you to listen closely. I think I know how we can _really _hit them hard…"

Axel didn't know how much more of this he could take. First Shei getting hurt, then finding out about the horrors that Marl and Demyx had been put through. And now Derrick, one of the few people that understood how hard home life was for them, was currently in surgery. They had lost him twice on the way to the hospital, or so Sephiroth had told him, and even if his wounds were successfully treated, there was a high chance that he would never wake up again. Finding out that Quinn had betrayed them, no, had been tricking them all from the start, was the icing on the cake.

He looked around the waiting room, seeing Reno's haggard face staring back at him from where his head rested against Rufus's shoulder. Cloud sat hunched over, his face in his hands. Leon sat next to him with his hand resting on his shaking shoulders. Noah was still sobbing into Duo's chest, the brunette trying his hardest to comfort her.

_Jesus. I can't imagine how horrible it was for him to have the one he loved turn on him like that. To find out he was only using him like this._

He turned to look at his own lover, whose head was resting on his shoulder. Sora's head was in his lap, and the younger twin had cried himself to sleep. Roxas ran his fingers lightly through his hair, his own tears still falling with the occasional sniffle.

The red-head felt someone's fingers lightly brush his other shoulder, and he turned to find his other triplet sitting next to him, Muraki on his other side. Thankfully, Shei's blindness hadn't been nearly as bad as they had thought. His vision had started to clear, and even though he could still only make out vague shapes, the doctor was hopeful that it would continue to improve, though not completely. There would always be some damage, he said.

"I see that I'm no longer the only person he's put in here, huh?" Shei's smile was weak, and Axel knew he must be tired as hell, but he was glad to have him by his side. He reached over to gently grip his brother's hand, careful not to touch the IV that was still sticking out of it. "No, but we'll do whatever we have to to make sure that Derrick is the _last_ one."

"I know. But are you sure it's okay for you guys to be here? I'm sure Dad's not gonna be too happy that you guys are out so late."

Axel snorted. "As if I care what that fucker thinks. We really need to find a way to get out of that shithole."

"Axel, you know there isn't anywhere else we could go." This time it was Reno who spoke, and Axel noted that the others were now watching them. All of them knew that something in the Tarshil house wasn't quite right, but no one was offering any explanations, and the others were all worried.

"Actually, I might have a solution to that, if you would permit me." Now everyone turned to look at Dr. Muraki, who until then had been silent. Noticing everyone's attention on him, he coolly met Axel's gaze. "You could come to live with me."

The Tarshil brothers stared at him in shock, and even Noah was staring at him wide-eyed. Axel was the first to shake out of his stupor. "The old man would never allow that."

"Trust me, blackmail can be a most effective weapon. If I could 'convince' him to turn over all guardianship rights to me, would you accept my offer? It stands for all four of you."

Tears filled Axel's eyes at the gesture, and when he looked at his brothers he could see moisture in their eyes as well. "But how are you ever going to get him to do that?"

"Believe me. I have my ways."

Reno pressed his hands against his tired eyes. All of the recent events were catching up to him, and the tiny flicker of hope that Muraki had stirred in him had been the last straw. He was currently sitting on Rufus's bed in the Shinra's large house, and he wanted to be thinking of _anything_ other than the past few days' events. They had learned that Derrick was alive, but it was doubtful if he would survive the night, and they had been told to head home. He couldn't bring himself to step foot in his father's house, the site of so much misery, so he had accepted Rufus's offer to stay the night at his place.

The blond sat down gently on the bed next to him. "Reno, if you need to talk about this, I am right here." He began to rub his hand in slow circles on the red-head's back in a calming motion.

Reno let out a bark of harsh laughter. "The last thing I want to do is talk about any of this." He raised his head to meet the other teen's eyes. "I want to forget. Just for now, I want to forget it all." He leaned forward and captured the stunned blonde's lips with his own.

After the initial shock, Rufus began to return the kiss with fervor, trying to express all of the want and need and countless other emotions in that one kiss. When he ran his tongue along Reno's lower lip, he was pleased at how easily the other teen granted him access.

As his tongue explored Reno's mouth, he pushed the red-head gently back on the bed, running his hands up Reno's shirt for a little exploration of their own. Reno groaned when his fingers found one of his nipples, and Rufus smirked into the kiss as he rolled the sensitive nub between his fingers. As he teased the sensitive flesh, he moved from Reno's mouth the point where his neck met his shoulder. The red-head's moans were louder now, and he had obviously found a sensitive spot. He could feel the Turk's hardening arousal pressing up against him and he ran the palm of his other hand down his torso to run lightly against the growing bulge.

"Ah, God!" Reno was panting harshly as Rufus applied more pressure to his pulsing cock. The blond detached his mouth from Reno's skin long enough to remove both of their shirts before running his tongue over the Turk's other nipple and pinching it between his teeth. Reno's back arched off the bed with a loud cry.

Rufus let out a small groan of his own as his partner's cries were starting to have an affect on his own body. His pants were becoming uncomfortably tight and he ground his hips lightly against Reno's thigh to alleviate some of the pressure. Reno gasped as he felt the obvious sign of the blonde's arousal and his groin tightened at the thought of what was going to happen. Long, thin fingers made their way into his pants, under the waistline of his boxers, and gripped his erection in a gently but firm grip. The red-head's hips bucked as Rufus gave a few experimental strokes.

"G-god…Rufus! Please!"

"Please what?" The blond was leaning over him now, a smirk on his face as he continued to lazily stroke him. "What would you like me to do to you, Reno?"

"P-please…ah! Please, fuck me! I…ahhhhnnn, Rufus, please just hurry and… fuck me!"

"Of course, all you had to do was ask." Still smirking, the blond released Reno's erection and rolled the red-head onto his stomach. Slowly, teasingly, he pulled Reno's pants down, then off, and threw them into the same forgotten corner as their shirts. "Raise your hips for me."

"What are you – ah!" Reno cried out as he felt Rufus's tongue at his entrance, running small circles around the puckered ring of flesh before slowly pressing inward. He couldn't stop the sounds escaping him as his partner pleasured him in such an unexpected way. Cloud had never done this, would have gotten angry at the mere mention of it.

Seeing that his partner was close, Rufus reluctantly withdrew and removed the rest of his clothing. Then he stretched to retrieve a small bottle of lubricant from the drawer next to his bed. He shivered, partially from the feeling of coating his cock with the cold liquid, but mostly in anticipation of finally being inside the one he had wanted with all of his being since he had first laid eyes on the red-head years ago. Moving slowly, he pressed the head of his cock against Reno's entrance, pausing for a moment when he finally breached that tight ring of muscle before preceding to push himself the rest of the way in.

Reno gasp and moaned as he felt Rufus penetrating him, gritting his teeth against the pain he felt. When the blond was fully sheathed, he stopped, allowing him to adjust to the feeling of being filled. It wasn't long before Reno was pushing back against him, all but begging for him to go on. Rufus obliged gladly, and though he started out slowly, he was soon pounding into him at a punishing pace that he didn't mind in the slightest,

He held himself up with his elbows as long as he could, but soon his arms could no longer hold up under Rufus's hard thrusts, and he found himself pressed into the mattress. Suddenly, the blond withdrew. Before he could protest, however, he suddenly found himself on his back once again with the blond pushing one of his knees hard against his chest. Then he had entered him again in one fluid movement, hitting that spot inside of him that had him seeing spots and sending a pleasurable thrill straight to his aching member.

Rufus could feel himself nearing the edge, and judging by the look on Reno's face and the beautiful cries he was emitting, the red-head was close as well. He reached between their sweating bodies and began to pump his partner's erection in time with his thrusts, finding it already dripping and wet. All it took was a few firm strokes and Reno came, crying out as his semen spurted over his lover's hand and his stomach.

A few more thrusts and Rufus found his own release, spending himself deep within his lover's body. His arms trembled as his body spasmed, then he collapsed on top of his lover, completely spent.

Reno panted harshly as his body reeled from the effects of his orgasm. His skin was slicked with sweat and as he ran his hand up his lover's back he could feel he was the same. His hand continued upward until his fingers twined in the short blond hair and he pulled his lover's face up for a deep kiss. When they finally broke apart, Rufus drew the blanket up around them, shifting until he lay with Reno in his arms.

Reno smiled, truly at peace for the first time in a long while, and for the first time in months he slept soundly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 10 End

**A/N: **Whew. Huzzah! New chapter, and it took me only, what, two years? *laughs sheepishly* Hey! At least I gave you a slice of lemon, ne?


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